A Tale of Tales
by Goddess Evangeline
Summary: I spin for you a Tale of Tales, told throughout the land; A tale of war, of hope, of love, and one Gods master plan
1. Chapter 1

I spin for you a tale of tales, told throughout the land;

A tale of war, of hope, of love, and one Gods master plan

In this tale, exist two brothers: the younger and the old;

The older, colder, more guarded, more cautious or so we're told,

The younger, less, less cautious less blessed, more adventurous, more…bold.

What divides? Blood, not blood, a mystery never solved

These divisions eventually passed, these issues now resolved.

This tale tells of their history, when they were separated still,

The truth, the lies, the confirmed, the un'; the muck passed 'round the rumor mill.

It commenced, I surmise, with the untimely demise with the younger's mother, foretold;

_I _begin this tale with a song of slavery, into which the younger was sold…

He rose from his bed roll, with a familiar ache in his neck that came from sleeping on what was very generously referred to as a bed, and stretched his limbs to prepare for the coming days events. His master, Lord Kairo was planning a feast to commemorate the birth of his latest son, Hachirou- aptly named, he thought, since the boy was the eighth son of Lord Kairo, which made him wonder at the health of the Lord's poor wife who'd birthed them all- and he expected him to be on his best behavior, and at his absolute best physical state come the festivities. This was fine with InuYasha, who most times was generally well behaved for his master anyway since he wasn't at all interested receiving the lash at the hands of Kiritsu- whom he also thought was named appropriately since he was the master of the whip, and therefore in charge of punishing or 'disciplining' the other slaves, lest they misbehave, which InuYasha rarely did. As previously stated, the expectations didn't bother him…it was for whom he was expected to behave that had him uneasy about the whole thing.

Lord Kairo's eldest son was returning to the palace for the merriments, which on its own seems a relatively common place thing, excepting in this one fact that the young lord had not been home in quite some time. Again, this on its own doesn't seem foreboding in the slightest, but shortly before the young lord departed from the estate, there transpired an incident between the adolescent noble and himself, which left InuYasha with a sting in his back the likes of which he'd never like to feel again…

…_He lifted the desk off the rug just a bit so that he could reach underneath to retrieve the document his Lord had commanded him to recover from its new place on the floor. It wasn't unusual that Lord Kairo deposit his belongings on the floor when he was displeased with them, and this missive was displeasing, indeed. Apparently, at least as far as he could surmise from the ranting he heard from down the hall prior to entering his Lord's counsel's chamber, the Lord of the West was demanding that Kairo turn over some portion of his land, which- by some stretch of Lord Kairo's imagination- he felt he had earned simply by virtue of being born Lord Kairo. So, after a few more moments of absolutely unnecessary hostility towards this unknown Lord, Kairo bellowed at the young half-demon to retrieve the document from his study and bring it to him at once. "We'll deal with this now and get this bastard out of our hair." He'd hissed, spraying the room with spit. InuYasha did as he was bid, which was always a wise choice but became especially so when the Lord was in a foul mood, which believe it or not didn't happen very often. So, here he was, digging through his master's papers to search for the document only to find it on the floor…under a leg of his master's __**solid**__ oak desk…of course. So, he lifted the desk off the rug just a bit so that he could reach underneath to retrieve the document his Lord had commanded him to recover from its new place on the floor… when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see who it might be, and came face to face with Ichiro, Lord Kairo's eldest son. _

_Normally, it wasn't strange for Ichiro to be in his father's private study when no one was around, it was pretty quiet after all, but for the young man to have been sitting in the dark was…odd to say the very least. However, InuYasha bowed respectfully to the young lord, and explained to him that he was simply retrieving an important document for his father and would depart from his presence in just a moment. The young man nodded staring intensely at the half demon, and unreadable expression on his features as he gave the hanyou an once-over and said: "I find myself in need of entertainment, InuYasha. I grow quite bored of the usual distractions of the palace."_

_InuYasha nodded. "Well, Master Ichiro, after I've delivered this message to your father, I could fetch Mistress Fumiko from the Yukaku to come and service you. Or, if you have a specific person in mind I could send word to the village Asobime and have the Fujin send someone new."_

"_No, I don't think that will be necessary," Ichiro said with a smile. "After all, I have all I need right here. A dark room, a nice rug, a pretty face…"_

_InuYasha's eyes widened as he came to the realization of just what the young Lord was implying. "My Lord I-I'm sorry, but I don't think your father would approve of…"_

"_Nonsense, father was just telling me that he was considering in engaging you in such…pleasures. I cannot imagine he would begrudge me anything in this, excepting that I had you first." Ichiro reached out to stroke his cheek, relishing the soft skin he found there under the pads of his fingers. "Now why don't you be a good boy and take that missive to my father. We will discuss this more when you return to me." He grabbed the boy's arms roughly and pulled the adolescent to his chest. "You __**will**__ return, won't you, InuYasha? You'll come back because you're a good boy and you would never defy the wishes of your betters…especially when what they wish is to fuck you," he paused to press his already firm cock into the hips of the younger man. "After all, it's the only thing pretty half-breeds like you are good for."_

_Very suddenly, surprising even InuYasha himself, said half-breed jammed his knee into the genitals of Lord Kairo's eldest son and ran down out the door and down the hall, screams of outrage following him as he went. By the time he had reached the door of the counsel's chamber, there were already guards at the door and Lord Kairo himself was standing outside, concern etched on his face in response to the very loud, very sudden cries of his son. "InuYasha," Lord Kairo said, the unease he felt evident in his voice. "What's happened?"_

"_He attacked me!" was shouted down the hall by Ichiro, his face red with fury, vengeful intent plain. "That miserable half-breed assaulted me in your study when I caught him digging through your most private documents! Punish him, father! Kill the little traitor!"_

"_Ichiro that is enough!" Kairo shouted over his son, so that he might be heard over the hysteria. "InuYasha was told to go through the papers to find one that I needed, as he always does, which you know perfectly well, you petulant child." He turned to InuYasha. "You attacked my son?" _

_Not knowing what else to do, and considering that the charge was technically true, InuYasha nodded, tears in his eyes for he knew what awaited him in the moments to come. He had felt the lash before, when the slavers were breaking him, and he had vowed to himself that he would never feel it again, but now after all his hard work, his diligent adherence to the rules of the house and the word of his Lord, he would once more face the post. All because Ichiro couldn't keep his hands to himself…bastard. InuYasha had never given him any indication that he was interested in anything even remotely in the realm of sexual activity, and yet the spoiled little shit thought he could just take him whenever he wanted, regardless of what InuYasha himself desired? Well…he was right, and InuYasha would pay for denying him…_

…He had been in the infirmary for almost a week after the beating he had received at the hands of Kiritsu, who had taken a perverse kind of pleasure in the whipping, which he supposed was to be expected from someone who had _**volunteered**_ to be the master of the whip. Still, he didn't have to be so damn…thorough about it, not an inch of his back was untouched by the Falcon's Claw, Kiritsu pet name for the damn switch. Both appropriate and far reaching, as the whip itself resembled that of a falcon's claw, but Kiritsu was more of a pigeon….or a spent hen, as InuYasha often referred to him in the servants' quarters when everyone was around to hear it. Eventually, that was what everyone chose to call him both in private and to his face; it even managed to travel outside the palace to noble and servant alike, until that was simply his moniker- Tsuiyashite Niwatori, or just Niwatori depending on who he was talking to, most nobles thought that was _**actually**_ his name…and none of the servants felt particularly inclined to correct them.

In any case, he had no intention of repeating the events old, so he would steer clear of any and all associates of Lord Ichiro, and indeed Ichiro himself. Apparently Lord Kairo agreed with his silent plan, because he had assigned him to the service of Lord Sesshomaru, whose demand for territory had started the whole mess in the first place…perhaps InuYasha would spill a little red wine on his fine kimono in thanks, or perhaps a lot of red wine, who could say? It was sure to be an evening filled with much excitement and the gratuitous consumption of alcohol by servant and master alike, no one would attribute his clumsiness to anything but simultaneous drunkenness. Not that he would be clumsy in the slightest…not would he be drinking, it tended to force its consumers…mistakes; mistakes most of them could not afford to make, especially not InuYasha, not tonight.

So, as the party into full swing that night, he was on his best behavior, but had yet to see Lord Sesshomaru, who hadn't been announced as arriving yet. Maybe he wouldn't come, that would certainly be a slap to Kairo's face. He doubted it though; Lord Sesshomaru had already sent word that he would arrive a few moments late to the celebration as he was dealing with restlessness along his northern borders. That said, this Sesshomaru guy was supposed to be a pretty big deal so InuYasha couldn't imagine that it could take a big shot like that too long to stabilize a single border. Then again, that's probably why he wasn't born into lordship; he wasn't interested in the complexities of political interactions between territories. He'd learned through suffering, that it was best to eliminate your enemies as swiftly as possible, lest they cause problems for you in the future (which they almost always did). So he couldn't understand the need for one Lord to cater to the demands of another; the world was a perpetual rat race, you had to run or get the hell out of the way. Just as his eyes rolled to the ceiling in petulation, he heard the crier announce the arrival of the great and power Lord Sesshomaru, high ruler of Saigoku and Lord of the Western Lands. Gods, but that was a long title. InuYasha straightened himself and approached the steps leading into the dining hall so that he might escort Lord Sesshomaru to his seat at the large formal dining table situated in the middle of the large ballroom. He was not prepared for what he saw there.

The sight awaiting him was truly…well…he didn't know what it was. This creature standing before him had to have been one the most well-dressed, well-bred, son of a power hungry bitch he had ever seen in his life. He exuded what InuYasha guessed most would consider self-confidence; he was obviously very self-assured, and most definitely twice as narcissistic as every person in the room. InuYasha guessed that this man spent most of his life preening, meticulously groomed as he was, with his perfect straight silver hair, his pale unblemished skin and well pressed, silken attire. Someone cared a little too much about appearances. Yet, at the same time InuYasha could admit that he was beautiful…for a snob. In any case, he had a job to do; it wouldn't be proper for him to stand their all night staring at the man.

"If you'll follow me this way, my Lord, I'll escort you to your seat." He gestured in the direction that they would walk, and waited to be acknowledged.

Lord Sesshomaru stared at him from the corner of his eye, literally looking down on him, before raising an eyebrow and saying "I've met you before."

InuYasha shook his head. "Forgive me for saying so, my Lord, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. I certainly would've remembered meeting one such as you in my relatively short time. Now, if you'll follow me, I can show you to your seat."

"What is your name?" Lord Sesshomaru inquired, seemingly disinclined to be guided to any place even remotely resembling his position at the table.

"My name is InuYasha, my Lord, I am a servant in Lord Kairo's house hold, and I am to accompany you to your seat so that we may begin the feasting to celebrate young Hachirou's birth. Now, if you'll come this way please."

"InuYasha?" Sesshomaru asked, _**still**_ not moving.

"Yes, my Lord." InuYasha replied, fighting to keep the exasperation out of his voice. "I am a servant in Lord Kairo's house hold and I have been tasked with escorting you to-…"

"How did you come to be in Lord Kairo's employ?"

"I'm not employed here, my Lord, no one pays me. I am a slave. Now, if you will please come this way so that I might escort you to your se-…"

Sesshomaru's voice took a sharp edge. "You are a slave?"

"Yes!" InuYasha's voice held a bit of the irritation he was feeling. _'Get it together, InuYasha!' _"Please, my Lord, you really should be seated…"

"Where is Lord Kairo? I demand to speak to him immediately!"

Was he fucking _**joking**_?! What was with this guy and his demands? He wants lands, he wants audiences…great, now people were staring…perfect…asshole. "Yes, my Lord I will inform Lord Kairo that you wish to speak to him, in the meantime, would you like to take your seat, so that you on not still upon your feet after what must surely have been a long journey from your domain in the West?" Perfect! Polite, respectful, and the bastard still got what he wanted. InuYasha patted himself on the back, a job well done.

"No," Sesshomaru replied with a deeper scowl. "I shall wait here. I wish to speak to him privately about this affront."

Shit. "Yes, my Lord, whatever you like."

InuYasha sighed and made his way up to the table, all the while cursing his unnaturally poor fortunes with these sovereigns. He reached the head of the table, where his Lord sat speaking to his second son Jirou, whom InuYasha was particularly fond of, and found it difficult to smile back when the young man raised his head to acknowledge him. Now, where Ichiro was an ass hounding man whore without an ounce of decency to his name, Jirou was a respectful, kind young man, with a heart filled with compassion and a naiveté that InuYasha knew the world would eat alive, if it was given even the slightest opportunity. He had once seen Ichiro stuff Jirou into the chamber pot of the ladies in waiting to their late mother and, after prying the stinking boy out of the pot, offering to slit his throat in his sleep for overly compassionate child. "You shouldn't say things like that, InuYasha, you'll get in trouble. Besides, he's a bastard, but he's my brother and I love him. I always will."

InuYasha had been floored by the admission and had determined from then on to aspire to be as good a person as Jirou was…just as soon as Ichiro was dead and rotten and InuYasha had peed on his grave a little…and maybe some dancing….then he'd be as good a person as Jirou; but then, he supposed, that would defeat the purpose of aspiring to be a good person, because Jirou would never do that. Fine, he wouldn't dance on the grave, he'd just pee on it….and maybe spit for good measure. Jirou had laughed at that. He was the only one in the whole palace who thought InuYasha had been justified in denying the eldest brother any sort of access to his body, especially since it wasn't welcomed or indicated to be desired in the first place. InuYasha had been grateful for that. Maybe they weren't _all _bad. It was then that InuYasha remembered his current predicament and frowned. Maybe, but Sesshomaru definitely was.

"Lord Kairo?" InuYasha called politely when he'd reached his Lord's chair. "Lord Sesshomaru would like a private audience with your Lordship."

"Can it wait until after dinner?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but no. Lord Sesshomaru is very insistent that you meet with him now."

"Of course he is." Kairo sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me Jirou, I must attend to the high ruler of Saigoku." He said rolling his eyes.

'_I know how you feel'._ InuYasha mirrored the Lord's sentiments. "Shall I send refreshments to the study while you and Lord Sesshomaru converse?"

"As much as I would like to say we won't be up that long…Yes, it would probably a good idea."

"Yes. My Lord."

InuYasha made his way to the kitchens and instructed the staff to prepare beverages fitting the tastes of the Lord of the West, and when they were done he arranged them on a tray and carried it up the corridor of stairs to Lord Kairo's study. Just as he went to knock on the door to announce his arrival, he heard something…that he probably shouldn't have.

"That's impossible! Your mother said herself that the child had died in the raid of his mother's house-hold! It just isn't possible."

"Yes, and mother certainly had no reasons to lie did she?" Lord Sesshomaru sighed, "In any case, it is obvious that the child is indeed my father's youngest son, and I cannot allow you to continue possessing him in the manner that you do. It reflects poorly upon my family."

"Lord Sesshomaru, the child has been in my possession for years, and not a soul has suspected that he is even remotely related to you, save yourself of course, and if they had they haven't said a word about it. Allow me to keep the hanyou and I assure you that the knowledge of his heritage will live and die with us."

"I have already given you my answer to the predicament, Lord Kairo. Do as you are bid and do not argue the subject with me."

"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru, but-"

It was then that InuYasha chose to knock on the door, announcing his presence to the two high born demons inside. His hands began to shake as he was bid to enter. He opened the door and walked towards the table that sat in the center of the study, pouring tea into the two cups and handing each to their recipients after adorning them with the additives that each lord desired in their respective beverages. After asking each if there was anything else that they required and receiving a negative response in turn, he bowed and took his leave. That was tense…and a little awkward…and quite frankly not something he _**ever**_ wanted to experience again. What the hell were they talking about…him? No, that was ridiculous, he was InuYasha, not...well anything else, certainly not anything better than that. He shook his head, how silly.

He returned to the kitchens to prepare individual trays for the serving of guests when his Lord returned to the dining room. The kitchen staff had fallen a bit behind while Lord Kairo was away and needed to be redirected, as they often did when their lord was absent for any period of time, honestly InuYasha didn't understand how they could be so lazy. After all, the kitchen personnel had the easiest job in the palace by far, cooking and cleaning dishes, and on occasion shopping the grocers for new foods that their lord might not have had that he would enjoy. He was an ass, but Kairo was good to his kitchen workers, which didn't really endear him to any of the other members of his staff. As InuYasha directed the chefs, making sure that everything was prepared to the standards Lord Kairo had set for them just weeks before, Kiritsu entered the galley, setting all the servants on edge, much to the annoyance of a certain half-demon, who had just gotten them back on task.

"Kiritsu, if you don't have any formal business here, then I have to ask that you leave. The last of the guests have arrived and I need to make sure that everything is prepared for-"

"Lord Kairo wishes to see you, InuYasha; now."

InuYasha frowned. "Did he say for what?"

"Does it matter? He said 'now,' half-breed. So I suggest you get that fine ass moving, lest I'm forced to punish you for disobeying."

"Of course….Niwatori." he mumbled the last of that, causing the others to snicker as he left them, lightening the mood for them considerably and making them more inclined to complete their tasks, which was good; he wouldn't have to play catch up when his Lord was done with him. Lord Sesshomaru was standing outside the door of Lord Kairo's study by the time InuYasha had arrived. "My Lord." InuYasha bowed politely before passing through the doors that stood adjacent the man and bowed before his sovereign. Quite a few moments passed before said ruler addressed him directly.

"InuYasha…when Lord Sesshomaru leaves us…you will be going with him. No, don't argue, it is not out of any displeasure with you, nor does it have anything to do with the incident between you and Ichiro, as I have already extended my forgiveness to you for that. Lord Sesshomaru desires that you depart my possession and are released into his custody, and I am not in any position to refuse him. As soon as the festivities are through, you are to pack up your possessions and prepare to depart Lord Sesshomaru's earliest convenience." Lord Kairo sighed at the hanyou's despondent expression. "Do not be sorrowful, InuYasha. Lord Sesshomaru is the greatest lord in these lands and will treat you with care as he does his other servants, some of which are hanyou as well."

InuYasha nodded, not looking up from his dejected posturing. He didn't want to go with Lord what's-his-face (he knew his name, thank you very much, he just wasn't interested in acknowledging that information at this time…Lord Bastard was more appropriate at this point anyway), he was…well, not happy in Lord Kairo's household, but damn it he knew this devil, why the hell would he want to jump in bed with one he didn't? It wasn't up for debate though, and as soon as the party was done, InuYasha packed his meager belongings- a simple blue Kimono that his Lord had gifted him with on the supposed anniversary of his birth, a bag of lemon verbena and mint to wash his mouth before bed, and a small swatch of cloth from an old kimono that was a favorite of his mother; it had long ago lost her scent, but still retained its brilliant hue and the memories of her that he had instilled within- and prepared to make off with whom he supposed was his new Lord. He was waiting by the large door that was the entrance into the palace for Lord Sesshomaru, who was taking his sweet time doing Gods only knew when a figure, very familiar and very unwelcome, appeared behind him.

"Hello, Puppy, taking a little trip, are you?"

"Master Ichiro, how nice to see you again," InuYasha replied with as much respect as he could manage in such a public setting.

"Is it? I hadn't thought you would be so interested in seeing me again after our last little encounter…perhaps you have changed your mind?"

"Not at all, My Lord, I am simply extending the respect you are due by virtue of being my Lord Kairo's eldest son."

"Oh? Does that mean that you do not truly mean to say that it is pleasant to see me, but are simply saying so out of obligation?" Ichiro smiled in his reptilian fashion. "That does not seem to me to be very respectful. In fact," he caressed the plane of InuYasha's back where Kiritsu had struck him years ago. "I would say that such an insolent creature as he whom openly admits to being false to his betters deserves to be whipped." He moved his hands down to cup InuYasha's rear, making the half-breed stiffen. "Or perhaps we could compromise? Maybe if you would finally agree to join me in my bed, I could be persuaded to settle for merely spanking this firm little bottom of yours, hmm? Would you like that, Puppy?" He squeezed. "I could make it enjoyable for the both of us."

"No, my Lord, forgive me but I was unclear." InuYasha responded moving away from the overly zealous boy, for that is precisely what he was. "I did not mean to say that I was insincere in my greeting, but that it would be improper of me to hold what happened long ago against one of your station, as I am so far beneath you." _But I'm still high enough to rip your balls off you son of a bitch…meaning no offense to your strangely wonderful mother…must be where Jirou gets it._ "I apologize that I was so vague as to cause any displeasure on your part."

"No displeasure at all, Puppy, but still you have not answered my question, and still you are deserving of being struck for your disservice to my personage for cause such confusion." He pulled InuYasha back towards him, pressing his groin into the young hanyou's firm backside. "Shall we adjourn to my bedroom that I might administer the spanking you seem to be so desperately seeking." He turned his eyes to the Whip. "Or shall I summon Kiritsu so that he might punish you in front of all our lovely guests, in front of my precious brother Jirou who is so very fond of you? To see such a thing would break his heart."

"Then it is good that he shall never see it." A smooth, unmistakable baritone interjected. "Now, remove your hands from that which is mine, or shall quite simply remove them."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Ichiro bowed his head in respect to the greater Lord. "Forgive me, my Lord, I did not see you there."

"That much is clear." Lord Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the thoroughly ashamed hanyou and raised his brow. "Have you finished gathering your belongings?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

The regal lord looked around the area for some sign of said belongings. Nothing, not a satchel, not a chest, not even a tiny pouch he saw nothing. Having seen such he returned his full attention to the child "Where are they?"

InuYasha furrowed his brow in confusion. "Where are what, my Lord?"

"Your possessions. You say you've gathered them, where are they?"

"InuYasha doesn't own much, Lord Sesshomaru, he is a slave." Ichiro stated raising a mocking eyebrow at the young half-demon. "All his meager properties fit into the pockets of his sleeves."

"Is this true?" Lord Sesshomaru asked, heatedly.

InuYasha nodded. "Yes, My Lord, as Master Ichiro said, I am a slave and therefore am only entitled to so many possessions."

Sesshomaru was furious, or at least he seemed to be. There was a fire in his eyes and a subtle hostility in his demeanor that was difficult to catch for an eye that was not trained in such observation. However, being that his fate was predicated on pleasing his Lords, InuYasha was so trained. He bowed low in an attempt to appease his newest Lord and master. Perhaps a show of submission was required to sooth him.

"Rise, boy." Sesshomaru growled. "There is no purpose to such a display, never do it again."

"My Lord?"

Sesshomaru ignored him. "You, he who believes himself worthy to touch that which rightfully belongs to this Sesshomaru, who is responsible for this travesty?"

"Of what do you speak, My Lord?"

"I mean that a son of InuTaisho should have such a meager existence is the fault of someone, and I am inclined to believe that you could be such an individual."

"My Lord, forgive me, but I do not understand of what you speak. I have never done any disrespect to your person or the miens of your siblings, what causes you to accuse me of such?"

Sesshomaru grabbed InuYasha by the hair and gestured with him in his grasp. "That I have only just witnessed you place your hands on my sibling in a manner that suggests you are more familiar with him then you ought to be gives me just cause to assume that you have been using him to fulfill your own entreaties and have done so at the express displeasure and much un-welcome distress of that sibling is also made very clear to these eyes!"

"Your-what?! My Lord, surely you must be mistaken! InuYasha is a slave! Sold to us by Lord Yamamoto when you…"

"When I stormed his castle in order to liberate my many other siblings that he had taken for himself, also to fulfill his pleasures as he saw fit, though this pup was still naught but a babe then and had no reason to think that what was happening was not just and surely his station, as it is, in his half-breed status, but is not fulfilled truly when serving the likes of you for he is a son of my noble Father, no matter the taint in his blood and is deserving of my then bed warmer to an amorous child!"

Poor InuYasha was at a loss. As the conversation continued, and more of his hair was taken in Lord Sesshomaru's grasp he was lost in the contemplation of his previous words. Yes, InuYasha had come from the Household of Yamamoto Yamasaki, who at the time was an eastern lord and had amassed many concubines with silver hair, for he was especially fond of InuYoukai, males and females, children and adults alike. It was there that InuYasha had learned of the trade of a bed warmer, though he was never penetrated by any of his teachers, nor by Lord Yamamoto himself, who much preferred to gaze at the child while he administered fellatio to the elder man in his throne room. He loved having the boy suck his cock while he sat on his throne, as demonstrated by how often he, InuYasha, was asked to do it. Lord Kairo was the same way, though he required it less frequently because he had a wife, something that InuYasha was desperately grateful for and wished that Yamamoto had possessed, though always knew that was a blind hope, as he would only choose to mate or marry an InuYoukai, and knew that none would have him, considering how often he forced himself upon them when they were children, and after. There weren't many people who were aware of InuYasha's possession of such knowledge, as he was not purchased as a bed slave; another thing that he was grateful for, for surely Ichiro would consider it his right to simply rape the poor boy, as it would be if he were a pleasure slave. But, he was sure, Lord Sesshomaru knew, for how could he know of Yamamoto and the fate of his own siblings without also knowing what InuYasha would have learned during his brief but absurdly long stay at the former lord's manor.

Wait…his sibling…what? "Lord Sesshomaru?"

All conversation stopped as their eyes were turned to the now slumped hanyou upon the floor of the atrium, his head hung in what appeared to be perfect submission before his newest Lord. Sesshomaru replied. "Yes, InuYasha."

"You informed Lord Kairo that you needed to be at your mother's estate before sun rise tomorrow morning, and the Kingdom of the Sky is quite a ways from here."

"Yes, your point?"

InuYasha gathered himself and raised his head a picture of the calm subservient boy all but Lord Sesshomaru seemed to demand. "Shall we not, then, be off my Lord? It would not do for one such as you to be late for a meeting with the likes of the Sky Queen all because the child of another Lord has mistreated a hanyou slave. That is not to say that it is my place to criticize your actions, my Lord, for surely it is not, but I simply wish to advice, if I may, that if we do not depart very soon you will most definitely be late."

Sesshomaru breathed deeply and nodded. "Yes, we certainly will be." He turned to Ichiro. "Know this, if you place your filthy hands on my hanyou again, you shall lose them." With that he turned and said "let us go, InuYasha," and walked, straight backed and proud out the door, with a despondent and suddenly unsure InuYasha following close behind.

…_So, I've ruined the stability of Lord Kairo's house, I've made a fool of Ichiro, __**again**__ though truthfully through no action of my own, and I've apparently acquired an elder brother in the process…what's next?_

A/n: Yes, I have returned and in spectacular fashion if I do say so myself. No, I have nothing new on NTL, Sesshomaru is being kind of an asshole, so I'm stuck in the most unpleasant of fashions, but I digress…did you miss me!?...No of course you didn't, but that's okay, because I missed me, though I guess technically I didn't go anywhere away from me, but I always seem to have just missed me by like five seconds *sigh* who knows. Anyway, no, no Kagome, or Sango, I might introduce Miroku, no Kouga, and certainly no Naraku. Yes, the poem in the beginning is a little misleading, but hey, its poetry, when is it not misleading. Yes, there will be war in which the brothers are on opposite sides, but not yet. First one owns the other, then an imagined betrayal, THEN war…then maybe some smexy smex at the end…Yay! Please, review, and flames keep me warm at night, so I'll take those too. To go, please, I don't has time to eat them here.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Yes, Lord Yamamoto was to blame for all the strife that the young half demon found in his current existence, though not completely as he hadn't been the one to leave him to that existence to begin with. No, on some level InuYasha knew that he probably blamed his mother for dying in the first place, or even worse his poor brothers, who were babes themselves when she passed and had no way to defend themselves, save cowering behind the one that had taken up their defense. Besides, they were taken too and probably suffering the same fate as him…or, shudder the thought, he might even be the lucky one; though he doubted it, as they were taken, gladly, by family while InuYasha was left to his own, but still he worried after them, always.

It wasn't a particularly fabulous day, nor was it ominous. There was no foreshadowing of his mother's sickness or her youngest child's fate. There was only that which had been before. The hustle of the village preparing for harvest, the sounds of the children playing at games with balls and toys that InuYasha had, yet never bothered to use because they were extras and his brothers liked them, and he was powerful and they were not, and he should share because they were weak and needed him to. He would take what he wanted when he wanted it. But that was when they were older- or seemed older to their own eyes as children often think they are when they are children still-, and InuYasha had a full grasp of just how much more special he was then his brothers...and how much less his mother seemed to value him. Now, this is not to suggest that she did not care for him, for of course she did and displayed it often, this also does not suggest that such doubt is the product of a child's mind who is unrightfully jealous of his brothers despite having just as much as they had, and he did have as much if not more; this was simply fact, as she told him herself once that she did not value him as she did her other children. She had cried when he asked her the meaning of 'half-breed' but she did that more for her other sons, he thought, and not for himself. He was left to ponder the virtue of such a word alone as she consoled her other children, who looked more like the rest of the villagers than he ever did and were never called such horrible things for no one looked at them with much the same disdain as they had for InuYasha. In fact they were beloved as the Lady's only human children. Takeshi, though, was not human and InuYasha knew that very well and Takeshi knew that very well and Saiou knew that equally well for he was the Lady Izayoi's only human son, so he just couldn't understand why his brother would accept such praise in total defiance of his demon heritage, something of which InuYasha, himself, valued above all other things.

But there they were, Takeshi and Saiou, playing with the village children while InuYasha was left to scan the forest line, and watch; as usual. But he begrudged them nothing, for he loved his brothers and was content enough in their enjoyment of frivolous play, even if it did give Takeshi a big head and make him think that InuYasha should bow to him as the other children did. He wouldn't, but would allow Takeshi to take the reign because he was the eldest and must be given his due, as he was taught by his mother and her ladies and told by Takeshi himself. InuYasha must give him everything and more if he asked for it. Something he, again, was happy to do, not only because he loved his brother and would do it for him anyway if he wasn't the eldest but also (subconsciously) because he knew that if he truly needed anything his siblings had he could take it from them, simply inform them that he needed it and claim it as his own, for though Takeshi was the eldest there was a mutual and unspoken understanding between the three that InuYasha was the strongest and the very moment that Takeshi forgot that would likely be his last moment on this Earth. This was an instinctual understanding, of course, because InuYasha had never, nor would he ever, threatened his brothers in any way, because as previously stated he loved them and was content with their contentedness and would only ever become aggressive with those that threatened them. Otherwise, he was a perfectly if not unusually temperate and thoughtful child (not thoughtful in that he was kind, but more that he was ponderous and oftentimes mediated disagreements between siblings with an even hand and a mild manner, being the gentle and sensible person he was).

But today was somehow…different. There was some spark in the air that made it taste of flame and death and something he couldn't yet identify but would later come to learn was the scent of blood and sex combined to create the scents of rape. These were the scents left behind by warriors and he had smelled them before when a brigade led by the human overseer had passed their village not long ago. _This is not the same._ He didn't know how he knew, but he did. These were bandits, and they had no care for woman and children except for their own pleasures. They were after riches, which were abundant in this village because the Lady required them, and they would kill to get them. The rising line of light on the wrong side of the horizon spoke of fire unleashed and the hollow sounds coming from the normally noisy trees spoke of fear and absence. They weren't coming, they were here.

"Yasha! _Yasha_…!"

"…..InuYasha? InuYasha!"

He started, the voice of his Lord breaking his concentration on past events. "Yes, lord Sesshomaru, did you require something?"

"Your attention, as it is my due. We have arrived."

Indeed they had. The Sky Palace was amazing, even from the ground, with the rich colors of its banners and the soft natural light that came from the city itself. It was a splendor. They mounted a carriage that had arrived during InuYasha's unpleasant, if unfinished remembrance, and were lifted towards the front gates of the castle, which were carved of Ivory and did nothing to outline the wonder that was surely present in such a place. However, once inside the Palace was rather plain and simple looking. Sure, the colors were rich and the different buildings were crafted with precious stones like marble and Jade, but they weren't polished, there was no sheen. Everything looked dirty, covered with dust, and the tapestries that had looked so splendorous from the ground were, up close, dull and in desperate need of a wash. _This is why he has taken me. I am needed to clean his mother's estate. I am to be a gift. _InuYasha shuddered at the absence of other servants. Why was there no one else to wait on such a fine lady? Had they abandoned her? Had her son taken them? InuYasha shook his head in disgust. He had never liked his Lords, but they were his and he had a duty to serve them; he never would have walked away from them at the detriment of his honor, no matter what his feelings may be.

As they approached the main gate, the half demon made an inventory of all the things he needed to take caution of while he was serving the Mistress of the Heavens, the most prominent of which was a tapestry that depicted what he was sure was a family portrait of his Lord as a child in the arms of his Lord's father and his Lady mother. It wasn't a particularly touching picture, as the Lady seemed as distant as Lord Sesshomaru, but still InuYasha knew that she had a love for her child; it was clear in her eyes as the Lady gazed at the precious babe in her arms. He made note of the three vases, all red, with porcelain flowers of varying colors all in different styles based on the species they emulated; they were obviously very expensive and he would have to take great care of them.

As he made his mental account of all the fine items in the hall, he didn't notice that Sesshomaru was watching him, considering his every gesture with a critical eye. The child seemed strangely at ease. Nothing like he was during their trip, he stood tall as he took in his surroundings rather than distracted and rather depressed. The Lord wondered briefly what was passing through his estranged brothers head as they reached the end of the hall to stand before the large and ornate entrance to the greeting hall of the palace. In the past, Lord Sesshomaru never would have bothered even briefly considering the thoughts of another, least of all his siblings as they were often ever-loud and filled with feelings of entitlement from their eldest brother, a sense of equality that was not theirs to claim, as they were bastards and not his true siblings. This boy, however, was his equal simply by nature of his birth and the circumstances of his parentage, and yet, probably due to his being raised as a slave, he seemed to be more inclined to differ to his lord brother as is proper despite their relative equality. Even as he walks at his side, an obvious if not impassive indication of their equality, he kept his head respectfully parallel to the ground and always had his ears tilted towards him in a gesture of devout attention.

InuYasha turned to him and noticed his intent gaze. "Apologies, my Lord, I did not mean to be so inattentive, did you require something of me?"

Sesshomaru chuckled, knowing full well that the boy was nothing if not attentive. "No, we are here."

As he spoke the large door opened and they were beckoned inside by two very large stone demons guarding the hall, their spears tipped with varnished silver, their solid stone armor chipped away by the hands of time. That this room was just as dusty as the rest of the estate was the first of many things that InuYasha noticed when they entered the greeting hall. InuYasha scoffed derisively- and privately- at himself. When had he become so damn domesticated? He was losing himself in this, whatever it was, but…he turned his eyes to Lord Sesshomaru. _He looked so much like his Takeshi_…

They were so different, Lady Izayoi's triplets, and yet they were similar enough that their relation to one another made perfect sense. The eldest, Takeshi, was born a full-fledged demon, not an ounce of human blood to be found, snow white hair- which was quite common in InuYoukai-, and the golden eyes of his father, his markings similar to the Lord InuTaisho's except in coloring, in this he was more similar to his Lord Brother, whom their mother had failed to name much to their dismay, and pale as the moonlight skin-though his love of the outdoors would change that complexion rather quickly. The second son, Saiou, was a fully human child, however he was blessed with the lifespan of his demon brothers so they would not have to suffer his death until they themselves were ripe with age, he had his mother's midnight black hair and strange purple eyes, no marks on his face of course because what kind of human has those, and his mother's darker skin. The youngest child, InuYasha, was…different, in every way that a child can be different from his brothers. His hair was spun silver, like the starlight a gift not commonly bestowed upon InuYoukai by the Gods since ancient times, his eyes were a piercing amber, glimmering like jewels in any light they happened to be seen in, only his pupils fluctuated with the light, wider to resemble Saiou's in the darkness helping to see even in the pitch black of an unlit Shinto at the dead of night, or much more narrow, like the crossing of a blade upon the amber pools they graced in the brightest of lights. His skin was pale and would stay that way, only to be kissed by the sun but a little to give the slightest bit of tan that didn't survive the winter despite his own fondness for the outdoors. His ears were that of a puppy's, small and perky and lined with a velvet-like fur that his brothers envied. His markings were…ancient. Spinning, spiral patterns of black framed his eyes and his cheeks in a manner that enhanced their beauty, the markings upon his back wound themselves to resemble the wings of a dark angel, lovely in appearance yet terrible in power; his shoulders graced with the marks of the guardian and the martyr respectfully, this however was unknown to his mother, who told him very often that he was an ornate child that would be cherished by his father for his uniqueness which he took to mean he would be valued as thus over any personal identity and furrowed his eyes at such a frivolous notion.

He had learned to walk earlier than his older siblings and was exploring the village by the time he was 19 months old. His brothers didn't even learn how to talk until they were 22 months, something InuYasha also learned to do much earlier and more eloquently for that matter, yet never saw the practicality of exercising such a skill. Even so young he had discovered that words were like diamonds, useless and expensive. He had said as much to Lady Izayoi when she observed him watching his brothers play with the other children, to which she commented that he was a very serious boy and needed to learn how to interact with people. Little did he know that the wisdom of her words were to given, not to encourage him to leave her side as he often thought- for the fact that she valued him different from his siblings was not, as he had thought, that she valued him less, but that she valued him above them for his responsible nature, calm demeanor and stunningly ancient beauty which she held as a gift that would surely benefit her oddly distant yet staunchly devoted child- but to encourage him to build bridges that would help him when she was gone from his life, for she knew that beneath that armor her small child had built was a tender heart that would need to be nurtured and cared for in a way that he would not receive from the selfish child she had born alongside him; though she loved Takeshi and Saiou as well as InuYasha, she knew full well that he was the strongest and best of all three.

The villagers were entranced by the child almost immediately after his birth. They would turn to look at him whenever he would pass them in his explorations and admire his beauty. It was when one of them had tried to touch him that problems arose. They learned quickly that the beauty before them, despite his size, was dangerous when cornered. A new comer had arrived in the village just over a year after the children had been born, and he more than any of the others was hypnotized by the dark beauty that lived among them. That he was only a babe did not concern this stranger as he followed him into the rice field the first summer intent on having a more thorough examination of the lovely little one. InuYasha had stopped at the small spring that filled the block of land in which the villagers grew rice, to have a drink from the cool spring and enjoy the quiet that came after harvest time when he noticed the visitor that had chosen to accompany him without his knowledge.

"Hello, little one," the Strange man said with, what InuYasha imagined was supposed to be a friendly, nonthreatening smile. "My name is Jun."

"Hello," InuYasha replied, his voice playing across Jun's ears like the song of a small bird, new and soft and uncertain in its magnificence and perfection. "Do you live here?"

Jun laughed. "Yes, I recently had to relocate to your village. I live in the hut on the other side of this field. See," Jun pointed to his small home. "It's just over there."

InuYasha nodded, his eyes following the path Jun's finger had drawn. The house was quite small especially when compared to his own, which housed himself his two siblings his mother and three hundred servants with room to spare. InuYasha's brow furrowed as he privately contemplated how a person could really live in such a small place, but decided that the thought was silly, of course he lived their everyone else in the village did, and Jun had just _told_ him he did. He rolled his eye. _Silly Yasha._

"And what is your name, little one?"

"Hmm?" InuYasha obviously wasn't listening.

"Your name, sweet one, what is it?"

"Oh! InuYasha, my name is InuYasha. I live over there." He pointed to his mother's estate so that his new friend could see where he lived too.

But Jun wasn't following the little fingers as InuYasha had followed his. No he was eyeing the slender frame the child possessed. When InuYasha turned back to look at him he was uncomfortable with the gaze Jun directed at him. He had never seen it before but he knew he didn't like it. "I need to go home now, Jun."

Jun was surprised by the sudden change in the child. He had thought that the boy was as ensnared as he was. Guess not. "What, you don't want to spend any more time with me?"

"Mommy will be worried."

"No she won't you can tell her that you were with your new friend, I'm sure that she'll understand."

"Hmmm….I guess." InuYasha was still uncertain, but in his little mind Jun was right, Mommy was always telling him to make friends after all. Surely she wouldn't mind him venturing out this once. But Jun was _**still**_ giving him that strange look that InuYasha knew spelled trouble for him one way or another. He was strong though, and despite his reluctance to speak to people he was a child, and children always wanted friends. "Do you want to play a game with me? I know a good one we can play with a ball and the river."

"That would be great. I have a few balls in my home if you would like to get one."

This sent off warning bells in InuYasha's head. _No,_ a voice said to him from deep inside. _Go home, InuYasha. This man is trouble. Go home._ But he didn't listen. New as this voice was, InuYasha chalked it up to strange paranoia and followed his new friend across the field and into his tiny abode. But….he didn't see any balls…where were they? "Jun, what happened to the balls you had?"

"My sweet InuYasha, I'm afraid I was mistaken. You see, I don't have any balls that you could play games with out on the stream. But I know of a different game we could play together."

InuYasha was disappointed. He wanted to play in the stream. "Okay, I guess…what kind of game? Can we invite other people to play?"

"No, lovely one, this is a game only for you and me; a secret game, just for special friends."

OH! A secret game! InuYasha loved secrets! And special friends, oh yes, InuYasha wanted to have a special friend, it sounded perfect! "How do you play?"

"Well," Jun knelt down to caress the sweet slender face of the child before him, sinking his hands deep into that already long silver cascade of perfection. "You have to close your eyes and look up a little for me, sweet little thing, and don't open your eyes for any reason, alright?"

"'k!" InuYasha exclaimed, closing his eyes obediently for his new special friend.

"Alright now be still." Jun's other hand reached around to caress the perfect little bottom the graced this child's gorgeous frame, so small and already so perfect. He leaned in to caress a tiny fur-lined ear with his lips. "Don't move, little one," He pressed his knee lightly against the place between InuYasha's tiny legs while simultaneously pressing his already hardening arousal into the child's legs.

InuYasha whimpered. He didn't like this game. "Jun-"

"Hush, little one, let me touch you. It will be alright, you'll see. I'll make you feel so good."

"No. Jun, no! I don't want to play anymore! I want to go home!" InuYasha was close to tears now, he didn't know what was happening, but he didn't like it not one bit. He wanted his mommy and he wanted her NOW!

"Just be still, InuYasha." Jun growled out in a harsh and cruel voice. "You will be still, or I will cease to be gentle and take you like the little whore you are meant to be."

"_**NO!**_" Just then the voice deep inside of InuYasha sprang to the outside, he felt his claws and fangs elongate and a crackle of electricity sounded through the small dwelling. Before either of them knew what was happening, Jun was flying out of the hut and into one of the trees that lined the edges of the village for all the villagers to see and InuYasha was openly sobbing in his distress and fear of the previous events. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards his mother's home and into her arms where he remained for days after the incident crying and clinging to his mother for safety. It was after that, that the villagers learned to look but never touch. Not that the half-demon would give anyone the opportunity to lure him into such a precarious situation ever again…well that and his mother didn't let him out of the house for almost a month after the villagers had told her what happened. After a time, he simply became acclimated to remaining indoors and watching his brothers play, enjoying their enjoyment, and so that is what he did. He watched, and watched, until the bandits came to his quite village and his brother shouted his name….Yasha…..Yasha…..Yasha…..

"My, Sesshomaru, you keep such interesting company these days. Tell me, is the half-breed simply for ambience or is he good for something more." Lord Sesshomaru's lady mother had entered the room while he was once again trapped in his past. _Why does that keep happening?_ She was beautiful, as he knew she would be having seen the portrait of her and her family. He bowed respectfully to the Lady as her gaze settled upon him. "Well, at least the hanyou knows his place."

"Mother, you lied to me."

She started, her hands clutching her chest in a vain attempt to mimic hurt feelings. "I never! How could you accuse your poor mother of such a thing, Sesshomaru? I'm hurt, truly."

"You told me that only the two children survived the raid on their mother's house, and yet I find this boy," He motioned to InuYasha who was stilled bowed in respect, "serving in Kairo's home as a slave! Of all the affronts you have allowed my father's house to suffer, woman, this is surely the most heinous. Explain yourself, now."

"Now, now, Sesshomaru, calm yourself. This child doesn't even remotely resemble the fine and fair young thing that the Lady Izayoi was rumored to have born your father, nor did he look it then, so I saw no reason to snatch up this obvious imposter."

It was true. The 'InuYasha' that Izayoi had born was intricately marked and stunningly beautiful. This InuYasha was quite plain, with no markings, thick, white, commoner's hair and very plain yellow eyes, closer to a cat's than to a dog. Perhaps his mother was right. Perhaps this child was an imposter. But Sesshomaru could see the shimmer of magic over his skin. He had detected it when he was examining the boy just before they entered the hall. He was hiding something under that barrier, Sesshomaru was sure. How to get to it though, that was the question. "But the other boys. They were with this one, and you took them without him. Did they not say anything to you?" He looked towards the half-demon pup once again. He would know this child; this alien son of his father whom he never knew. Never got the chance to know. This boy was his brother, he was sure…or perhaps he was simply his. Either way, he would unravel this boy's secrets, _**his**_ boy's secrets.

"They said nothing, which lends only more evidence to my theory the he is a fake, a charlatan. Did it honestly never occur to you that such a child, even a half demon, would take it upon himself to steal your father's legacy?"

"I need to speak to your mage."

She started. "Whatever for?"

"That is none of your concern. It is for you to know only that I must, no, I _will_ speak to the mage that is resident in this palace."

"Well then, my very ill-mannered son, he is in the solaria."

He turned to the Halfling. "Come, InuYasha, we are going to the solaria. We will speak to the mage now."

….._Mage? What the hell do we need to see a mage for?_

A/N: I know, I know, the Italics confuse you; in the first chapter they were more the intro to the second chapter. I decided to do away with that notion in the second one and use them as a kind of place holder for the following chappies. I also realize that the format of this chapter is confusing, the transition from past to present and back again, but I did this on purpose. If you've ever read _A Rose for Emily_, you'll understand. Granted the author of that story surely did it better than me, but hey at least I tried. ALSO! I have decided to change my position on a Sango appearance…A certain someone knows why ;) As always, reviews are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The villagers didn't react well to the incident of violence against Jun, who promptly departed their village soon after, and they were growing less and less impressed with the sheer opulence of InuYasha, deciding instead to focus on the raw power that threatened them in their own homes. It didn't matter that Jun was a hardened molester, or that InuYasha hadn't actually done him any harm, the fact that a half-breed had hypnotized them in to submissive servitude and made them a slave to his glory was violation enough, even if such manipulation was only in their minds. So, they rejected the pup they once adored in favor of the purer children, and took every opportunity they could to put him down; to try to belittle him. Not that InuYasha minded, for at this turn, he had discovered that humans were changeable creatures, and were only placated in their fears when they believed they were of greater power than that which they dread. In any case, he had already made up his mind to cease association, so it made little difference to him what they said, he only truly took notice of it when he didn't understand the insult; he was the son of InuTaisho after all, and even if he wasn't, he was InuYasha, the greatest of three sons, he had no reason to fret over the insults of temporary fixtures.

His brothers, on the other hand, were a different story. When _they_ brought the insults home, and mother did nothing about them, that is when InuYasha began to truly see himself as…well… not inferior because as he had said before, he was InuYasha and his brothers were not, but perhaps a little… forsaken. In those moments, triplets or not, he was alone. It was then that InuYasha realized that, while he would always care for his family, he could never rely on them; they were as contemptuous as everyone else. Even his mother, whom he adored above all creatures, seemed to desire to abandon him in favor of her other progeny. But that was fine. Because he was an amenable child and would, of course, respect the decisions of his Lady mother, and esteem his elder brothers as was his place as Lady Izayoi's youngest child. Besides, they were his brother and he loved them, and they loved him…of course they did. He would frown at himself for making his own chest tighten in despair and advise himself to dispel such emotion in favor of serenity; he desired desperately to be loved as his brothers were, to be held and adored by their mother as they were, but his pride would never allow him to seek such affection as he once did, for Jun had colored his perceptions of people and therefore effectively snuffed out his naiveté and innocence of such façades. That voice that had spoken to him before, his inner demon, his instincts, told him that, while he must love them and care for them, he most _never_ allow himself to fall victim to their infantile behavior, for one day it would be the doom of them all.

That day, it seemed, had finally come. As the fires raged through the village, claiming every house, devouring them in a rush of heat and flame, InuYasha rushed out, down from his place on the veranda, and sprinted to his brothers' side to guide them to the hiding place in the kitchen cupboards that he had carved out for himself after the…incident. Mother's Shinto wouldn't burn, he knew, because it was too far away from the village proper to catch a flame and there was nothing to carry it towards the delicate wooden home. "Stay here." He'd said. "I'll find mother and we'll run for safety."

"Yasha, don't go!"

"Stay, Yasha, 's not safe out there!"

"I'll be fine, I have to find mother." He smiled at their teary faces. "I'll come back for you I promise. Now, don't make a sound, shhhh. Be quiet and no one will find you. I'll be right back." He placed the cover over their hiding spot and closed the doors of the cupboard. As he walked out of the kitchen and into the main hall of the house, he saw, truly saw, for the first time the state of his home. The walls were red and sticky, the floor was wet and slippery…it was absolutely drowning in blood. The bandits were already here. He cautiously proceeded down the hallway, inspecting every room carefully, wary of the danger but desperate to save his precious mother. "Momma?" He called after her, with a small voice that carried and echoed in the previously vibrant dwelling, bouncing back at him, almost mocking in its emptiness. As he made his way down the hall with nary a sign of the Lady Izayoi, he felt himself begin to tremble, as a solitary leaf adhering to the bony remains of a once lively tree shivers in the autumn wind. _Be brave, InuYasha._ He said to himself, taking a deep breath in order to stop his shaking. _Momma needs you…nii-chans need you._ He continued to take steadying breaths as he approached the main hall and slid the door open, he froze.

"…_Momma!_"

"What do you require, my Lord?" Machiro asked, bowing respectfully to Lord Sesshomaru.

They had reached the solaria just a moment ago, and Lord Sesshomaru had told him to stand by the tallest bookshelf and wait to be called. InuYasha tilted his head at the strange looking man talking to Lord Sesshomaru. He had never seen anyone so…strange. He was tall, of course as most Youkai were, his hair was black also not unusual, his eyes were an odd shade of grey that InuYasha personally had never seen, his skin was dark almost chocolate color, and his clothes were…different. He was foreign obviously, no one else could have gotten away with being so strange, but he spoke the language fluently and with little accent, something that InuYasha guessed meant that he had been there a long time; probably most of his life. He smelled bizarre almost bird-like….his robes were rather colorful…

"I'm a peacock." He suddenly said out of the blue, turning his gentle gaze to the curious hanyou. "I am from the Congo in Africa, child. I come a long way to work with the lady of the Skies. No, no, don't be embarrassed, youth breeds curiosity, I would be more offended if you hadn't taken any interest in me at all." He chuckled at InuYasha's blush, as the boy's face colored with shame at having stared at the odd man for so long, with such blatant inquisitiveness.

"I-I'm so sorry sir." InuYasha bowed respectfully, his ears pulled back and his face still very red. "I had not meant to- well I mean I had, of course- but I didn't- I'm sorry."

"Enough, pup. Machiro has already said he does not mind it." Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at the half-breed, who remained flush with embarrassment even as he rose from his bow with his customary 'yes, Lord Sesshomaru,' response. As amusing as it was to see his boy so flustered they had business that needed doing. "Now, Machiro, if you are half of what Mother claims you to be, than you should already know why I am here."

"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru; you wish me to remove the spell that covers the boy's true form."

_What!? _InuYasha's eyes widened when he heard this and turned to Lord Sesshomaru who merely nodded his head in affirmation. _No, they can't! I…need this form! I'm not…different from them like this…_

"Indeed. It would seem that someone had bound him into a lesser figure and spared only half the legacy my father left him."

"His father too, my Lord. Lord Sesshomaru, if I may, I would like to take a closer look at your boy."

"How much closer?" Sesshomaru replied, suspicious of the look upon Machiro's face.

Machiro chuckled to himself at his young lord's possessiveness. "I would only like to scan his aura for any signs of malice in this binding that he wears. It is simply a precaution to ensure that neither he nor I come to any harm during the process of removal."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Do what you must, then. But Machiro," he narrowed his eyes to glare in warning at the mage. "Do not even contemplate touching what I have claimed as my own."

"No, of course not, my Lord." He turned to the child standing beside the shelves and saw the trepidation on his face. "Don't fret, child, this will not hurt you."

InuYasha shook his head. He knew it wouldn't hurt him; of course not he _**put it**_ there. But taking it off would hurt Machiro…at least trying to take it off. InuYasha knew that, great mage or not, Machiro would never be able to undo a binding of his making. How to tell him without giving himself away? How to warn him off without telling Machiro, 'yes, I am the InuYasha you think I am, but please don't force me into my true form, nothing good ever comes from it?' They wouldn't believe him, of course, because what demon wants to be in a lesser form of themselves over their own flesh, but _**he **_did, and not just because he wanted to be more like his brothers. _No, I can't let him do this. _

There was an electric crackle as Machiro raised his aura to meet the half-breed's in order to survey his being. He was surprised to find that there seemed to be a barrier between the boy and himself, preventing him from truly seeing what it was that he was after. Raising his aura further, he felt a burning sensation skin over his mind, as though it had been lit aflame by some unknown assailant. _I have never encountered such a thing before. This boy is quite a find._ "My Lord, if you would please instruct the boy to lessen his own presence just a bit. There seems to be some sort of block preventing me from discovering a solution to the task you have set forth."

"Do as he says, InuYasha. I would like this done quickly…"

"…Let's get this done quickly so we can be off! You've had your fun Maddox, now kill the bitch!"

"Momma!" He cried distracted by the sight before him to realize that he had given himself away to these men who had so harmed his mother. She was in shambles. Her hair was ripped out its bun, hanging messily, half up half down, her fine clothes reduced to rags, filthy and tattered, her body exposed and bruised, her face swollen with abuse; she, like her home, was painted in blood. "Stop hurting her!"

"Well, well, what do we have here? This bitch yours, pretty one?" The large man holding his mother up by her hair unceremoniously dropped her to the floor. "Where have you been hiding?"

He found himself hypnotized by the empty gaze staring back at him. She was looking at him…but she wasn't…there was no light in her amethyst eyes, no hurt, no sorrow, no nothing. She was…gone. Not dead, no he could hear her breathing, see the rise and fall of her bare chest, but still she wasn't there.

As her eyes regained focus she saw him standing there, looking back at her, seeing her in such a state, and for the first time she saw real fear and uncertainty in his eyes; for the first time in what seemed like ages, he was a child in need of his mother…the one moment she couldn't possibly save him. "Inu…Yasha…no…"

"InuYasha? What a cute name for a cute puppy. Come here pup, come sit on my lap, I've got a treat for you." The men laughed at the joke as he reached for the child, who did nothing to defend himself. "That's a good boy, just tears now; I don't particularly care for screams when I'm fucking my boys."

"Don't…please…"

"You still alive? Well, fine then, I suppose I don't mind an audience too much, ha."

InuYasha started to squirm in the man's arms, desperate to get away and help his mother. He _**had**_ to save her. Momma needed his help…his nii-chans….he promised them. "Let me go!"

"Now, now, you want your mommy safe don't you?" This gave him pause, even as he pushed at the hand painfully gripping his shoulder. Yes, he did want her safe, but at the same time he didn't want this man to hurt him. **Don't be selfish. Momma needs us!** The voice was right. Momma needed him. He nodded. "Well then, why don't you be a good little boy and cry for me? _Daddy's _gonna put his cock in you."

Izayoi thought she would be sick when she heard this man refer to himself as her son's father. InuTaisho was a great man, how dared this monster sully his name; how dare he try to eroticize the violation of her child by referring to himself in such a manner! She tried to move, tried to do _something_, but she couldn't: she couldn't move, couldn't speak, she was too weak- dying- she could not do anything to aid her son; her sweet, sweet boy who was sacrificing himself to save her, someone who just couldn't be saved. A tear fell down her cheek as she heard his whimper of distress, his sobs as he was entered…her last moments spent listening, watching as this man defiled her perfect, pure, untainted, untouchable little boy.

He was being ripped apart, he knew it. This man was tearing him in two, and he couldn't do a thing about it, not if he wanted his momma to live, for these men to stop hurting her. And they had. Look! They were walking away from her, letting her rest! They weren't hurting her anymore. His sobs of pain mixed with those of relief for his poor mother, he would suffer, gladly, if it meant that she and his brothers were safe.

His hair was being pulled as his head was lifted up off the floor roughly. He was being taken harder, he could feel blood running down his legs and tears down his cheeks as the man pressed harder, gripped tighter, pulled out bits of his hair, bit down on his shoulder, and finished with a shudder, filling his torn and broken body with his essence1…

…InuYasha backed away from the sorcerer when he stepped forward, but did as he was bid and lessened the presence of his aura just a bit, but did nothing to lessen the power of the barrier he'd built around himself. The surge of power that trailed across his skin sent shivers up his spine as Machiro's aura pierced the veil between them, entwining with his own energies, fishing for the mechanism that held his façade in place.

Nothing; he found absolutely nothing to disarm the child's binding and restore him to his truest of forms, meaning only one thing. "My Lord, I believe _he_ is the crafter of this form you see before you. Your hanyou is deliberately masking himself and preventing us from seeing him, truly."

They both turned to look at the boy, who was eyeing them warily, all but confirming their suspicions. Machiro knotted his brow in thought. Why should the boy wish to hide himself so desperately that he would be so veracious in his defense of such a disguise? He tilted his head and extended his magics to try to skin over the half-breeds thoughts, to perhaps see if he could sleuth out what it was that made the boy desire to be so hidden, but as soon as he got even halfway towards his destination he felt a shudder pass over his own thoughts, and his secrets were very suddenly more exposed then they ever had been even before he began training as a mage. He hastily attempted to reconstruct his protections, but he was woefully slow doing so, especially when compared to the speed at which such secrets seemed to be stolen away. As soon as he was completed, he withdrew and gazed at the boy incredulously. He looked so calm! As if he hadn't just disarmed one of the most powerful Mages in the land, and stolen his thoughts with little to no effort on his own part. What was this?

Sesshomaru, too, was surprised. Never before had he ever heard of any demon, half-breed or full, deliberately hiding themselves in such a manner. InuYoukai did so, so that they could interact with other beings in a more humanoid form, making it easier for them to live in the fine homes that they built for themselves. However, they much preferred to be in their natural state, and almost never resisted being exposed, because their animal form was much powerful than any human image they could construct for themselves. He had never considered doing otherwise, himself, and he knew that his own lady mother hadn't. Takeshi, his younger brother had certainly stated a preference for being in his human form, but that was only because their brother Saiou felt left out when they joined one another outside of their respective guise. For a half-breed who obviously possessed a greater from than he currently inhabited to hide such a form in favor of one that was, apparently, so much less than what he truly was seemed almost blasphemous. Why should the half-breed choose to do such a thing? Very suddenly, he felt a shift in the air, and returned his full attention to the child in question, whose demeanor had taken quite an extreme turn from the calm, collected boy of a few moments ago.

To be frank, and quite honest, InuYasha was in a state. As soon as Machiro had tried to get into his mind, InuYasha, with no intention of doing anything save defend himself and his secrets, had inadvertently stolen Machiro's. He was being inundated with memories that clearly weren't his, and knowledge that he had no right to possess. An image of Machiro's first intimate encounter with a woman flashed before his eyes unwarranted, followed by an image of large over-decorated hall whose walls were covered in ornate crystals that were so filled with power they would electrify your flesh before you were ever really in the room, and there was Master Rioku, a man that InuYasha had never met, giving Machiro his certificate of graduation, and Gods but he looked so proud of himself, he was on top of the world, then he wasn't; he was being beaten by the knighthood of his kingdom simply for being a mage- just a child, poor Machiro- he felt tears on his cheeks, he was crying, but…was he? Was Machiro? He hated this, being so consumed by the memories of another that he was experiencing them first hand, but then he wasn't, and…and why wasn't this STOPPING?! He took a deep breath as he was saturated by every feeling and life experience that Machiro had ever had, good, bad, neutral, every thought that had ever passed through his head- how could someone get away with murdering a king?- and then it was finally over, and he sighed with relief. His mind finally his own, his face thankfully dry, and his Lord and his Lord's Lady Mother's trusted mage were staring at him.

"What did you see?"

"I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to-"

"I didn't ask if you meant to, I asked what you saw."

InuYasha wanted to cry like the child he truly was. Why did these things happen to him? Everything was fine a moment ago, why did he do this to people? "Everything; I'm so sorry, I saw everything."

"Well, little one, do try to share, yes?"

"Alright…what?"

Machiro chuckled. "You haven't been properly trained, pup, and I underestimated your strength-which I assure you will never happen again- so I deserved what I got. However, I will ask that you keep some of those things a secret, somehow I don't think certain perceptions will remain in place should those things be disclosed. I'm placing my full faith and trust in you, boy, don't disappoint."

InuYasha nodded. "To my grave," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

Sesshomaru growled and turned to Machiro. "Explain, now."

"Of course, my lord," Machiro gestured to a chair, indicating that Lord Sesshomaru should sit, motioning InuYasha to do the same on a cushion generally reserved for fine visitors, which the hanyou politely decline, much to Machiro's immense disappointment. "First and foremost, I have accomplished what my lord requested and have seen his true form, or at least had a glimpse."

"That is not what I asked you to do."

"No, my lord, but it is as close as I shall be able to get, the young one here is filled with quite a cache of raw power, I must say, very impressive. In any case, I have seen it; he is indeed the youngest son of your esteemed father, InuTaisho."

"Why did Takeshi and Saiou not say anything?"

"That I cannot speak to, he may have seen my knowledge, my lord, but I did not have the privilege of seeing his. However, I can say that the boy will not be revealed to you by anyone who is not InuYasha, and I would not advise that you try to ask it of anyone, lest they lose their secrets as easily as I did." He smiled fondly at InuYasha who blushed, very clearly ashamed of what had occurred between them despite his forgiveness. "Perhaps the child might one day be inclined to share it with us, if not, who knows if we will ever see it? In any case, you wish to know what transpired between us, well that is a rather simple matter. I attempted to break through the barriers that your younger brother erected upon his mind in order to hide his true form, I was unsuccessful, and his inner demon punished me for the failed attempt by shattering every barrier _**I**_ possessed and stole a piece of my being, my emotional and linear history, to be more specific."

"Emotional and linear history?"

"Yes, my lord, every experience that I have ever had, and every thought and emotion that accompanied those experiences."

"I see." Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the boy, still standing behind him, as a slave would. "Come here, InuYasha."

"My lord?" InuYasha replied, stepping forward so that he was within Sesshomaru's line of sight.

"Come _here, _InuYasha." Sesshomaru repeated insistently when InuYasha moved no closer.

He stepped forward so that he was within arm's reach of Lord Sesshomaru, and tilted his head questioningly, looking for all to see like the puppy he truly was. "My Lord?" he inquired again, his brow slightly furrowed and his furry ears twitching slightly in confusion.

Sesshomaru said nothing, simply pulled InuYasha in further with his Moko-Moko so that the half breed was resting against his chest, and buried his face into his hair breathing in his scent. The boy _did_ smell like family, so familiar and yet foreign to his nose-perhaps an effect of the false shape the boy occupied, he couldn't honestly tell- the child smelled…right. As something one holds in high personal regard. This child was his, in one way or another, or in all ways; it did not truly matter, Sesshomaru owned this boy now, whatever his status. He stroked his claws through the young hanyou's hair, feeling the difference between them in each strand. InuYasha's hair was soft cotton, where his was silk, white- like Takeshi's- to his moonlit silver, his eyes were a muddy pallid color, something like a yellow mixed with a hint of brown, and were dull in comparison to Sesshomaru's brilliant gilded orbs. He was different, yet very much the same, a filthy mix of his mother and their shared father; a kind of dusty almost worn out remake of their father's likeness. It was, in a word, disappointing.

But, perhaps all was not as it seemed. "Show yourself to me, InuYasha." At the sound of the half-demon's protest he growled. "I am your elder, and alpha; do as I say, and reveal yourself to me, little brother."

What else could he do but comply? InuYasha's ears pinned to the back of his head, he released the bind the surrounded him, just as his Lord had commanded. What choice did he have? As he revealed himself and all his glory, he was met with silence as both the other occupants of the room attempted to comprehend the stark contrast between this form, and the one he had occupied previously.

The boy was angelic, to say the least; like a celestial being come down from on high to bless them with his presence. Machiro could feel himself overcome with a desire to kneel before this creature, so brimming with power, pure and raw, and offer up his prayers, as though the child were a God simply waiting for those less than him to give him worship. And he would, gods know he would, if the child would but ask him. He slid out of his chair and on to the floor, simply sitting there, waiting for whatever it was that was surely coming.

Sesshomaru, of course, was in a very different state of mind. Yes, he was just as captivated by this creature as Machiro, but he would give his worship to no being that would think to command him; would seek to destroy any creature that thought so highly of itself to try. No, it was the sense of peace that surrounded this delicate being that enraptured Sesshomaru. There was no malice, no sense of strife, or struggle, or anything that would be considered ill-natured from the boy. He simply was. It was almost liberating, in a way that Sesshomaru couldn't understand, to be in the presence of one such individual who either did not, or could not, hold grudge against those that had very clearly wronged him, for surely having lived his life a slave, he was faced with many a wrongs.

InuYasha, who of course was not vain enough to become enraptured by himself, new better; yes, he did hold grudges, his dislike of Kiritsu and Ichiro was proof enough of that, but he did not hold those resentments for long, and more often than not was willing to let them go, knowing full well that if he lingered on such things they would color his perceptions of others, which was not in any way fair to those that had not been involved in whatever wrong doings they had committed against him. However, that did not stop him from being hesitant. He was forgiving, yes, but he was not naïve nor was he a fool. He would only allow so much before he felt the need to properly defend himself from those that would wish him harm, though it seemed that, for the time being, he was safe here. Of course, should that change…well, InuYasha was more than capable of defending himself from those that made up the palace guard, should such a thing be necessary. _Better fucking not be. It was a pain in the ass just getting here, you know?_ InuYasha agreed, it was unlikely that any here would cause him issue, though, so he supposed such thoughts were moot. In any case, his Lord and his Lord's mage were staring. _Which is beyond rude, by the way. _

…_Indeed._

A/N: So, we've introduced some new font manipulations that probably need explaining. **This is the font type that I will be using to express any thoughts or inputs that InuYasha's human half might wish to express.**

_This, of course, is his Youkai, in case you didn't already figure it out, this will be more where InuYasha's original canon characterization is pout in play, other wise he is complete different, because it's a fanfic, and I can do what I like with him, hahaha. _

_And this is just thought, or emphasis, __**or more emphasis, **__**or omg I can't believe this shit is going down emphasis**_ either way, I'll try to keep you up to speed with whatever little changes or add ins I happen to make.

As always, reviews are welcome, whole heartedly. 3


	4. Chapter 4

If he had been anyone else, he would have killed him. No, not figuratively, literally, ended his life, and buried him in a wall in his bedroom- maybe the floor- so he could look at (read: step on) his grave each and every day. Alas, this was his brother, and he should be patient with him, like his nii-chan. But Gods, Takeshi could be so damn annoying in the morning it wasn't even funny…

"Saiou, you know you're not supposed to hide your knives in your sleeves. They're for eating, not stabbing people. What would mother say?"

He scowled. "Would you like to ask her? I'm sure I can arrange that for you."

"You know that isn't the mother I'm talking about. Lady InuKiyomi is our mother now, and has been for almost two centuries, why do you deny her the honor she's due?"

"Because, dearest brother, she isn't our mother. She's our step mother and to call her anything else is to spit on Mother's memory. How would InuYasha feel if he heard you calling her your mother? He'd kill you; that is how he would feel."

"InuYasha is not, nor will he ever be, here. We made sure of that. He's a half-breed who's caused nothing but trouble for the both of us, even when we were children; always strutting around the house like he owned the place, like he was the elder brother, entitled to all that was rightfully mine. Besides, he killed our mother."

"He did not."

"Well, he may as well have."

"InuYasha was good to us, in case you've forgotten. He took care to make sure we were fed and clothed with a warm, safe place to sleep at night, long before that woman ever thought of seeking us out. He was the one that told us to go with her without him; _we_ didn't 'see to' anything. _He_ didn't want to be a burden to us, so _he_ told us not to say anything about him when _she_ came to take us."

Takeshi scoffed. "Only because he knew that Lady InuKiyomi would kill him for his weakness. He was a coward, Saiou, nothing more."

"Funny, because I distinctly remember a certain someone bawling his eyes out begging _Lady_ _Kiyomi_ not to hurt him, screaming for said 'coward' to come and save him. Never mind the sniveling child that huddled in the safe haven that same 'coward' built for him to hide in while his mother was murdered."

"You were no better!"

"No, I wasn't but I didn't call my savior a coward either! He was twice the care-giver anyone here ever was and _**he loved us!**_ Why do you have to say such horrible things about him, when all that _bitch_ ever does is check in on us now and then to make sure that we aren't doing anything to embarrass her and her precious, perfect Sesshomaru. Or have you forgotten our _perfect_ elder brother?"

"He _is_ perfect." Takeshi sighed dreamily. "And someday, he'll take me as his mate; I _am _the only one worthy of him after all. Mother says so."

"I'm sure she does." Saiou rolled his eyes, throwing the knife in his sleeve down on the table next to his breakfast plate. "I' m going to bathe before we have to tend to our studies, enjoy your daydream, idiot."

Takeshi frowned at the insult but said nothing, merely returning his dreamy gaze to whatever imaginary Sesshomaru was gracing his mind. Saiou shook his head sadly, his own thoughts turning toward a very different brother.

InuYasha _was_ always good to them. He never raised his voice, he never hit them, and he never expected anything of them except decent behavior and very minimal mischief. In return they were well taken care of, safe, well fed, warm, and well clothed. InuYasha had spared no expense when it came to their care, and whatever they wanted, they got. So, Saiou guessed, they were pretty spoiled, something that Lady InuKiyomi could replicate just as well, if not better than their younger brother; but the one thing she could never give them, which InuYasha gave in surplus, was love. No matter what they did, no matter how often they did things that disappointed him, InuYasha always loved them, and never even considered depriving them of that love and affection. When InuKiyomi was upset with them, she all but ignored them until they had either done something to make it up to her, or begged her to come and see them, to 'love them' again. Despite everything that he had forgotten about his brother's teachings, he did remember that one mantra that his otouto repeated long after their mother's death. _No matter what you do, no matter who you are, you're family, and I will always love you. Even if it kills me, Saiou, I love you._ InuKiyomi would never even consider allowing them to wrinkle her kimono, what the hell made Takeshi think she would die for them.

He shrugged. He was ranting again, he knew as he stepped out of the bath, possessing no knowledge of precisely how he got there. _InuYasha would have loved this._ He thought as he fingered all of his fine clothes and shoes. _He would be glad that we had such nice things…_

He started when he heard a knock at his door. Sumiko, his personal servant entered at his behest and bowed, respectfully. "My lady has asked me to prepare you for the day's festivities."

_Festivities? Ah, yes, our birthday…*sigh* Happy Birthday, Yasha. _"Alright, Sumiko. Does the lady have any thoughts on what I should wear?"

"Master Takeshi is wearing his white and gold kimono, and Lord Sesshomaru is planning to wear his traditional with red Kon, so I would encourage you to match them."

_InuYasha wouldn't __**encourage**__ me to do anything except what __**I**__ wanted._ "I suppose that's best."

"Yes, Master Saiou. I'm sure my Lady will be very pleased."

He nodded his head acquiescently, dutifully allowing her to dress him, to brush and oil his hair, and exited the room to join his brother's and step-mother in the ballroom where servants were hanging decorations for the party that would be held later that day. He bowed respectfully at Lady InuKiyomi before standing next to her and surveying the scene before him. There were ribbons of blue silk hanging from the ceiling, vases of flowers adorning the tables that would hold beverages and hors d'oeuvres for the guests to enjoy, paintings of the family, from his great grandfather AkiHiro-Taisho, his grandfather AkiHiko-Taisho (AkiHiko for short), his father Akio-InuTaisho, though many simply knew him as InuTaisho, and His brother Sesshomaru. He and his brother Takeshi's pictures had been moved to adorn the mantle of the large fireplace sitting in the center of the largest wall on the east side of the ballroom, both bordered by gold where there had previously been white frame, to signify their coming of age. InuYasha's portrait wasn't present in the hall; it never had been, because he'd never sat to have it painted. _Which is a shame,_ Saiou thought to himself, sadly, _he was so beautiful, I bet he's mesmerizing now that he's an adult._

Yes, they were adults now. At least, they were mating age anyway. Tonight they would be tested, and surely one of the two of them would be identified as a bearer and would be presented to suitors to be chosen for a viable mating, the first and greatest of which would be their lord brother Sesshomaru; the other would be presented to a line of bearers and would choose a potential mate from the flock. If neither of them had found a mate that night, they would be sequestered for mating season- at least the bearer would be, the alpha would be allowed to fuck basically whoever he wanted- until it was over. Then the process would be restarted on their next birthday a year from now, until they found a partner.

He knew that Takeshi hoped he would be a bearer so that he could mate with their brother Sesshomaru, but he also knew that such a thing was unlikely. He was the eldest of three and had displayed strong inclination towards alpha male behavior, even when they were children, so it was almost impossible for him to be a bearer. It had happened before, certainly; his grandfather had been a bearer and he was the first son of AkiHiro-Taisho, but still AkiHiko was the exception, not the rule. Takeshi was an alpha, he just knew it. The only identity in question, really, was his. Saiou wasn't sure what to expect, honestly, though he had always assumed that he and InuYasha would be bearers and had dreamed of them growing up together, and having children together, and being pregnant all at the same time, perhaps even being mated together; he had even shared these dreams with InuYasha, often in fact, to which the half-demon simply smiled and nodded and agreed and said nothing else about it. Saiou knew, now, that his brother probably believed he would never be mated and happy, he would be too busy providing for them and their futures to look for a mate himself. Secretly, Saiou had wished that his Yasha was an alpha, or at least not a bearer, so that the two of them could be mated; he didn't want to share his beautiful brother with anyone else.

You see, where Takeshi had thought Sesshomaru was perfect and beautiful and worshipped him and everything he did: Saiou adored his brother InuYasha in equal measure. To him, InuYasha was the epitome of perfection. He was graceful and patient and kind and oh so beautiful. He glowed in the moonlight or the sunlight, which ever happened to be shinning at the time, he was gentle and always had a kind word to say; would stroke his hair, or his back to comfort him, and had never let him know any true pain or heartache while they were together. Saiou loved his brother dearly, and had been _in-love_ with him for years. He was devastated when InuYasha instructed him not to reveal his identity to Lady InuKiyomi, and had always been resentful of her and his brother for simply accepting that. His poor, gentle, Yasha….

"Saiou, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of his reminiscences by his older brother, who was waving his hand in front of his face frantically. "What?"

Takeshi huffed impatiently. "Seriously, Saiou, you're supposed to listen when I talk to you. I _am_ your older brother after all."

"Sorry, Takeshi I was spaced out."

"Yeah, I saw that. You've been doing that a lot lately. Thinking of your mate." Takeshi wiggled his eyebrows. "Huh, huh? Ha-ha, I bet you're thinking of that prince in the East, the one with the blue hair. He's pretty, but don't you think you should be dreaming of someone else, like Sesshomaru, say. One of us should mate him after all, so if it isn't me, it will definitely be you."

"I wasn't-"

"Of course, you won't be as perfect a match as I am, but still better than anyone else."

"Takeshi I was- "

"Though, maybe if you would stop complaining about-"

"I was thinking about INUYASHA!" Saiou shouted, loud enough to make all the servants stop what they were doing and turn to look at them.

"What? _Again_? Why don't you think of something else for once, Saiou? Seriously, he's gone. It's been, what, two _hundred_ years? Come on."

"I'm sorry; he's just been on my mind lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed. You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted _**him**_ to be your mate…"

"…..Maybe I do…"

"WHAT!?" It was Takeshi's turn to yell now. "What happened to 'Oh, Yasha, when we get older and have mates, we'll spend so much time together: we'll give birth together, we'll be pregnant together, and we'll even raise our kids together! It'll be so great!'"

"I was…..fibbing….a little…"

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Anyway, it's too late for that now, like you said, he's gone."

"Well then," Takeshi said, suddenly very excited. "Let's let the servants do their thing, and join Mother and Nii-chan in the sitting room until the guests arrive."

"Is he back?"

"Yes, he arrived earlier this morning."

"Okay, then I guess. Do you think-"

He was interrupted by the sudden force of magic being unleashed throughout the house. As he returned to equilibrium, he drank in the scent that came with the powerful aura and smiled widely. "Yasha…"

* * *

Takeshi was more than a little annoyed by his brother's attitude, watching him walk out of the hall while pretending to day dream about Sesshomaru. He had been increasingly combative over the past few weeks, and if they were going to be mates, Saiou was going to have to learn how to behave. And get a handle on his attitude, or Takeshi would get a handle on it for him. In any case, he had to get ready for their birthday party. He rose from his seat at the head of the dining table, and made his way to his own bedroom.

He opened his door and drank in the sight of his recently redecorated room. He had added a few things, his curtains were a sheer red, and his bed sheets had been replaced with an inviting white fur, where they had previously been a heavy black silk; he had added a new dresser and wardrobe, both a deep mahogany, all for his brother. He wanted the little one to be comfortable when they finally shared a room, so he had done everything possible to change his room to please him. He walked to his own solid oak wardrobe and surveyed his various pieces of clothing, thinking hard about precisely what he would wear to impress his precious little brother. He decided on the white kimono with the gold dragons adorning the sleeves and back that Saiou had picked for him last summer. He fingered the embroidered beasts with a reverence that had only been displayed for one other creature…one that Saiou and he both adored.

He sighed. "InuYasha, where are you little brother?" Yes, despite all he had said to Saiou that morning, he too missed their younger brother, who had risked his own life to save theirs, who despite all the power he had at his disposal had shown difference to him that he didn't deserve, even after their dear mother died. It had pained him to say the things he did about his precious little one, but he knew he must follow InuYasha's advice and distance himself. _She'll want you to be loyal to her and only her, Takeshi; she will expect it from the both of you. That means you must be separate from me in all ways, because I am a half breed and she sees deplores me because I am a half-breed. Saiou won't like it, but you'll have to decide which is more important, protecting me or providing for Saiou. I love you, Takeshi. I know you'll do what's best for the both of you._ And he had; he had been so depreciating of his brother that Lady InuKiyomi had no reason to suspect his disloyalty to her or her son. Truth be told, he hated her, probably more than Saiou ever could. The first time he had heard her refer to InuYasha as 'the half-breed' he wanted to strangle her. He wanted to reach out and rip her face off with his claws.

_Learn to control yourself, Takeshi. You'll be a lord someday, and a lord must conduct himself accordingly, especially when one of higher status speaks in a disagreeable manner._ He did control himself, but gods it was so hard when she said things like 'that half-breed would have brought dishonor to your name' or 'it's good that you left the abomination to die, he is much more useful that way.' He wished, just once, that he could say to her 'I'm a half-breed, too!' because he was, his mother was human and his father was a demon.

_But you aren't a half-breed, silly boy. You're a full-fledged demon, and you shouldn't ever be so willing to throw such a heritage to the wind. _But he wanted to! He wanted to be like his brother, strong and calm and powerful and half demon! It wasn't fair! _Life will be good to you, Takeshi, because you are __**not**_ _a half demon. You will be given opportunities that I could only dream of. Take advantage of it, sweet boy, and don't ever wish things were different. It dishonors both our parents, but most especially our mother who was strong enough to make you as such._ Yes, right, mother. He wished she was he right now. He wished they were both here…

He shook himself free of his memories and proceeded to make his way to the ballroom, where Lady Kiyomi standing on the dais with his brother, Saiou, watching as the servants finished preparing for the night's revelries. She smiled at him when he bowed to her and motioned for him to stand beside her. "Look, Takeshi, you'll be joining the annals with your father, and his fathers before him. You'll be Lord of a land and mate a worthy bitch and craft perfect children for our clan, expanding its glory. I'm proud of you, boy, you have become a fine example, and a glory to your house."

"Thank you, Mother." His stomach turned as the words passed his lips. He hated having to call this woman his mother, for she resembled her not at all. But, InuYasha had said '_Loyalty means family, and family makes her your mother. You will have to call her as such if you want to be accepted into her household. And, Takeshi, wipe that look off of your face, because you most certainly do. It is the only way I will ever truly know that you will be safe. _

"Your brother, Sesshomaru, arrived early this morning and has gone to see the Mage, so I suppose he will be attending the party. Which is just as well, one of you will be a bearer and will be a viable mate for our perfect Lord of the West." She smiled triumphantly. "Well, I should be off to change, and welcome our honored guests. Do look after Saiou, will you? He's been distant lately and I don't want him to embarrass us by being inattentive."

"Yes, Mother."

"Good boy."

With that, she exited the hall, leaving him and his brother to themselves. He turned to look at the brother in question, seeing that he was, indeed, quite lost in his own thoughts. "Saiou. Saiou!" He waved his hand frantically in the younger's face trying to break him from his stupor. "Saiou, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Saiou's eyes finally looked in focus and he shook his head to clear away the fog that Takeshi had found there just a moment before. "What?"

Takeshi pretended to be impatient with his brother's lack of focus. "Seriously, Saiou, you're supposed to listen when I talk to you. I _am_ your older brother after all."

"Sorry, Takeshi I was spaced out."

"Yeah, I saw that. You've been doing that a lot lately. Thinking of your mate." Takeshi wiggled his eyebrows, hoping against all hope that Saiou was thinking of him. "Huh, huh? Ha-ha, I bet you're thinking of that prince in the East, the one with the blue hair. He's pretty, but don't you think you should be dreaming of someone else, like Sesshomaru, say. One of us should mate him after all, so if it isn't me, it will definitely be you." Gods, but he hoped it wasn't Sesshomaru could have anyone else in the whole world, but not his Saiou…and that eastern prince could kiss the whitest part of his lily white ass if he thought he was going to get his filthy hands on his precious little brother

"I wasn't-"

"Of course, you won't be as perfect a match as I am, but still better than anyone else." Than everyone else. Saiou was so perfect…so different from all the others.

"Takeshi I was- "

"Though, maybe if you would stop complaining about-" He had to keep rambling, he had to hide his longing until the time was just ri-

"I was thinking about INUYASHA!" Saiou shouted, loud enough to make all the servants stop what they were doing and turn to look at them, something that he had taken to doing since he and Takeshi were about seventeen.

"What? _Again_? Why don't you think of something else for once, Saiou? Seriously, he's gone. It's been, what, two _hundred_ years? Come on." 'I've been thinking about him, too, Saiou,' he wanted to say. 'Let's go find him, let's leave this place and go find him.'

"I'm sorry; he's just been on my mind lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed. You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted _**him**_ to be your mate…" 'Mine too.'

"…..Maybe I do…"

"WHAT!?" It was Takeshi's turn to yell now, truly surprised by this revelation. "What happened to 'Oh, Yasha, when we get older and have mates, we'll spend so much time together: we'll give birth together, we'll be pregnant together, and we'll even raise our kids together! It'll be so great!'" Truth be told, he had always hoped that Yasha and Saiou both would be _his_ mates, and both carry _his_ children, so that they could always be together, and never separated, ever. But that was childish, and InuYasha was gone. _Whatever you say, Takeshi. Silly boy. _

"I was…..fibbing….a little…"

"Yeah, I can see that." _Saiou thinks we should have our children, together. You're so alike, you two…_

"Anyway, it's too late for that now, like you said, he's gone."

"Well then," Takeshi said, suddenly acting very excited, hoping to draw them both away from the sorrow that he saw slowly creeping in on them. "Let's let the servants do their thing, and join Mother and Nii-chan in the sitting room until the guests arrive."

"Is he back?" Saiou sounded so disinterested, as always, in what their elder brother was doing, which was fine because he honestly wasn't all that interested either.

"Yes, he arrived earlier this morning."

Takeshi never heard what Saiou had said, as he was consumed by the sudden release of unbridled power that reached out to engulf all his senses, and fill them with a presence that he hadn't experienced in almost two centuries. "InuYasha…"

* * *

Half an hour had passed before Machiro and Sesshomaru gathered themselves enough to be considered normal again. They gazed at the creature before them with an awe they had never before experienced when in the presence of another being. He still had his long hair, but now it was glossy and silvery, resembling liquid star-dust, as though the moon had poured all the sky into the boy's hair and granted her light to every strand; his eyes were a piercing, clear gold, his pupils thin slits, giving him the look of a free and feral beast, untamed as such a creature should be. His skin had the lightest tan, not quite as much as it had had before, but not pale as his brother's had been; his previously naked skin was once again adorned with marks that spoke of a long dead world, ancient and mesmerizing in their beauty and position, framing his eyes and blossoming onto his cheek. Whether there were any other marks on his frame, they couldn't know, because he was still covered by his robes. Which was a good thing, Sesshomaru suddenly thought to himself releasing a breath didn't known he was holding, because this glorious creature's unexposed flesh belonged to him and him alone.

He glanced sidelong at the mage in question, noting that he was still hypnotized by the beauty of the being before them, and frowned. This was unacceptable. "Machiro, I suggest you take hold of your senses immediately, lest you lose the use of them altogether."

"Wha-huh?" The Man shook himself out of his stupor. "Yes, yes, My Lord, of course. Forgive me." His gaze traveled away for a moment before coming back to rest on the glory before him, gasping as his eyes locked with piercing gold, as InuYasha raised his eyes for the first time to meet theirs. "I….I am not sure what to say…"

InuYasha smiled, gently, kind and patient, more than used to the reaction. "I do not believe there is much that needs to be said, sir. But if you feel you must speak, may I suggest you direct your words to our Lord, as he is the one that questioned you."

His voice was soothing, and easily put Machiro at ease, despite his earlier anxiety. He felt himself relax completely as the smooth tenor washed over him and he smiled back at the child. "Yes, of course." He turned back to his lord and smiled at him as well. "Mission accomplished." He said, beaming.

"Indeed." Sesshomaru, too, was relaxed by the sound of his otouto's voice, despite it not having been directed at him. He found himself experiencing something he never had before. Envy; envy at the fact that the smile and the words had not been saved for him, had not been made for him. "InuYasha." He called to the child, filled with the desire to have his attentions.

"My Lord?" InuYasha turned his bright eyes to rest on him, stealing the breath from his lungs, smiling at him and expressing his natural contentedness despite the tense nature of their previous exchange.

Sesshomaru had to steal himself from accosting the child inappropriately while still in the presence of Machiro. "Come here, InuYasha. I wish to….come here."

He glided closer to his lord, who pulled him into his arms and brought his hand up to caress his face. The child was beautiful, yes, but his was not a plain beauty, nor a common one in their lands. His skin stood in contrast with others of his royal lineage, though it retained a silk-like quality despite his years of servitude, he smelled of wild flowers and thunder storms, power and fragility warring in his features, his demeanor. He was submissive, yes, he kept his head bowed slightly, but he was also very strong in his presence, standing up straight and tall. His cheek bones were high and full, as was proper for one of his line, his brow was smooth with and elegant and dainty arch, manicured to perfection and colored in stark contrast to his glittering silver hair; he pulled his brother close to him and buried his face in his smooth, cool locks, taking in his scent and covering the boy with his own, claiming him, marking InuYasha as beta and family.

"You are mine, InuYasha. You are my brother, you are my family, and you are _**mine**_."

"Yes, my Lord." InuYasha's airy voice carried gently to his ears, though it was distant and held no joy or fervor. Simply stated, and meant.

"Sesshomaru. You are kin, blood; you may call me Sesshomaru, or nii-chan."

"Are you not also my Lord?"

"Yes, but I am your brother first."

"As you say, my Lord….Sesshomaru."

He tightened his grip when his half-demon breathed his name, reaching up to fondle his furry ears, before leaning down to press their lips together in a breathy kiss. He drank in the boys essence through his caress, stealing every breath as it passed between them, subtly displaying his passions and expressing them with a growl as the half-demon opened his mouth to him, allowing him to explore his sweetened cavern. He ran his tongue upon his sweet brother's fangs, releasing a husky moan when he nicked his appendage, spilling a bit of his blood, allowing them to share in the taste of it.

InuYasha tried to pull away, suddenly filled with a desperate need for air, his lungs screaming, his mind hazing as Sesshomaru pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss they shared. When they finally separated, InuYasha gasped air into his lungs, a burning sensation filling them with every breath. His heart was pounding in his chest. His head was swimming. His nostrils were filled with the scent of Sesshomaru. His ears filled with the sound of his voice. He felt his loins stir when his brother-…his, brother…he almost couldn't believe it- pulled him closer to his frame, gripping him tightly and brushing his lips across his cheek. What was this? What was happening to him? This feeling in his chest…he gripped the front of his kimono, as though he was holding his heart in his very hands… "Sesshomaru…?"

"Yes, little one?"

…No words came to mind. He simply sighed and allowed himself to be bathed in the presence of his….nii-chan….

"My Lord?"

InuYasha snapped open eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and pulled away swiftly and bowed respectfully to his Lord. "Forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru, I didn't mean to forget myself in the presence of others."

Sesshomaru's brows furrowed in confusion. "InuYasha, why should you..?"

"YASHA!" Two voices rang in his ears, interrupting whatever Sesshomaru had been about to ask, drawing InuYasha's attention to the door that swung violently open, framing the bodies of two teens.

"Takeshi….Saiou?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

His ears were ringing. His body ached. His eyes were blurry and sore. His nose was itchy. He was crying. He turned toward his mother and called to her, but his voice sounded so far away. He knew he was calling her, his sore throat protesting at his volume, but still it sounded like a whisper. A wisp of wind or the breath of death, still far away but close enough to frighten. Why wasn't she moving? Surely she could hear him? Momma….Momma….

"…Momma!" He screamed, dragging his broken, battered body to her side; shaking her shoulders in an attempt to arise her. "Momma, wake up, please…Momma!"

It helped not at all. His mother was still and breathless, laying in a shallow, crimson pool, half-naked and stained with tears. His poor, beautiful mother; she was gone, he knew, she had left him, been stolen from him; those horrible men had stolen his mother…and his innocence.

"I'm sorry, Momma, I couldn't save you, I couldn't…" He choked on his sobs as he clutched the tattered remnants of his mother's once fine silken kimono. _Be brave, InuYasha, your brothers still need you, _he told himself. Yes, they did…he had to clean up everything before he went to find them. They couldn't see their momma like this; it would break them. He wiped his eyes and went about the task of searching for a proper cover for his poor Lady Mother. He found a sheet of silk hidden by some of the servants before they fled and undiscovered by the brigands that had been in his home, pulled it down from its hiding place, and carried it to wrap around his matriarch. "I'm sorry, Momma, but this was the best I could do…everyone's gone." He looked outside to see the torrent of rain pouring down; as if the sky itself had mourned his mother's passing. It was so dark…had it been this dark before? How long had he been unconscious?

He ran to the supply room. The gardeners sometimes stored shovels there with the other servants' things. He pulled open the door to find everything had been stolen, save a small bucket and some of the special dirt used when planting fresh healing herbs in the garden. He grabbed the bucket and exited the house, making his way down to the previously flower-covered valley behind the estate. He would bury his mother by the Sakura blossoms; they had always been her favorite. He found a spot at the end of the coppice, under the largest tree in the grove, and began to dig, entrenching his small claws in the mud and displacing as much dirt as his little hands could move at once. He jumped whenever thunder clapped in the sky, but didn't stop. It had to be deep or Momma would be uncovered by the rain, and she wouldn't be at rest then. The priest had told him that on a visit to their village when he was much younger. He dug and dug and dug until the top of the hole he was digging was well above his head- a large man could stand in it and not be able to touch the top- all the while the sky pelted him with moisture. He scrambled out of the hole and went back to the house to retrieve his mother's corpse.

He tried to lift her up as best he could, so that he wouldn't have to drag her through the mud, but Momma was heavy and stiff, and he was so little. Why couldn't he be bigger? He half carried, half dragged his mother down to the knoll where her grave had been dug and did his best to lower her gently into the ground. He slipped in with her, losing his footing in the mud and landing on top of her body, her blood saturating his clothes, bringing tears to his eyes and an almost-sob to his lips. He beat them back and climbed out of the grave once more, using the previously acquired bucket to cover his mother with earth, saying a prayer to the Gods as he did so, so that they would take pity on her and allow her to rest in peace. As the hole filled, he spotted a large rock nearby, nearly as large as he was, and dragged it over to her final resting place, setting about the task of carving a tombstone from it with his miniscule claws, losing a few in the process. He paid them no mind as they would grow back before he had to retrieve his charges and finished the inscription on the stone. _Here lies the Lady Izayoi. Mate of the Lord InuTaisho of the Western Lands, and beloved Mother of three sons. Gone, but not forgotten; May the Gods grant her peace in the next life._ He had seen a similar inscription atop another grave and it seemed fitting that he should have something to mark her, in case anyone should wish to visit and forgot where she was resting.

He sat there for another moment, staring at the stone he had carved, another wave of depression consuming him. How was he supposed to do this? How was he supposed to take care of himself? Why couldn't she be stronger, why did she have to leave them all alone? Why was she so weak, why did she have to die? Why did she get to leave when he was stuck here? _We have to be strong now, pup. We have to care for our brothers, they'll need us. _Yes, his brother's needed him, how could he have been so selfish? His poor nii-chans… InuYasha stood and made his way back to the house determined to bring it back to its former glory before he retrieved them from their hiding place. It had taken him hours to scrub the walls and floors, to clear them of the sight and smell of blood, and he had cried throughout, but it was done. All the broken glasses and pottery had been cleared away, all the blood was gone, and all the bodies had been buried. All that needed to be done was to clean himself of mud and blood and dirt and grime and nastiness…and sorrow. He had to put on a happy face for them. He had felt all that he could feel for now. They would need him to be strong and stable and level headed if they were going to survive. He would have to guide them now. He would have to learn deference and patience…it would be hard, he knew, but he would do it, for momma.

He gathered a change of clothes from the scraps the ruffians had left behind and went to the stream to bathe. He felt a little better now that he was clean and the rain had stopped. He gathered some carrots and potatoes from some of the nearby huts, which were unsurprisingly devoid of life, killed a few of the rabbits living in a small cubby under a fern tree at the edge of the village, and after skinning them the way the cook had showed him, built a fire from the wood reserves and threw them into a pot with the pre-prepared broth and seasonings that had been left behind. He was lucky the bandits had only been after gold and linens; otherwise, he wasn't sure he'd be able to make anything even remotely edible. He supposed he'd have to learn eventually…

After blending everything together, and making sure everything was back in its proper place, he went to fetch his brothers, who must have been terribly frightened by now. InuYasha took a deep breath, slid the door open, and pulled the panel from its place in the wall. He was greeted by the site of two large-eyed, trembling little boys huddled together in the back of the cavity InuYasha had carved into the wall. Once they realized who it was that revealed them, they leaped out of their cubby and lunged forward, collapsing him onto the ground, his arms filled to bursting with the frames of his elder brothers. At once he was pelted with questions, what happened, what had taken him so long, where was momma, what was for dinner, and at once he had no answers. He lead them to the kitchens and told them to wait there, he would find a change of clothes, then feed them and tell them everything he could. It wouldn't do much, he thought, to coddle them the way he would. It may soften the blow a bit, but it was unlikely to do anything else; to buffer the loss of their mother in the slightest. He would try, and that would simply have to be enough.

When InuYasha returned to them, his arms full of their clothes and toys, he found them resting together by the fire, stirring only when he placed their belongings near them and moved the pot of food closer to himself so that he could check its doneness. He wasn't sure how long, exactly it was supposed to cook, but he had an idea of what it was supposed to taste like, and it had not yet developed the proper flavor, so he refrained from waking them just yet. He looked at them, watching them sleeping peacefully beside one another. How many times would they be able to sleep that way? How many peaceful nights would they have together? How many warm meals would they have? How many times would they come by that food effortlessly? As many as times as he could give them, as he could help, even if it meant he would have no peace at all, ever again. After all, he was the son of InuTaisho, and even if he wasn't, he was InuYasha, the greatest of three sons, and soon, he would prove it…

It had been hard for them in the years that followed, not that Saiou or Takeshi knew any of that. InuYasha had done his best to shelter them from the cruelty inherent in the lives of orphaned children. InuYasha had taken the beatings, InuYasha had found their home, and InuYasha had fed and clothed and kept them content, never once complaining, never once sharing with them the burdens that weighed heavy on his shoulders. He had killed for them, and they would never know, he had stolen for them, but they would never know, he had suffered more than any child deserved to suffer, all for them, and they never know. They were blessed and content and still innocent, and that was all InuYasha could hope for. He was patient with them, disciplined them when they misbehaved, and treated them when they were sick. They wanted for nothing, and when they were old enough, they spoke of mates with InuYasha, each harboring their own secret desires and fantasies of what their lives would be….except InuYasha, whose life was his brothers' and could be given to no one else, no matter who expressed an interest.

Not long after they had established themselves in a village to the far West, near the coast, a tribe of wolves from the mainland took shelter in their homes from the summer storms. The youngest son of their leader, named Kouga, had pursued the gentle half-demon fervently, and enthusiastically, never once deterred by the young man's temperate rejections. If anything they made him more adamant in his pursuit, even going so far as to inform the entire village, loudly and with much fanfare, that InuYasha would be his mate. InuYasha just smiled and shook his head, telling all who inquired that this was the speech of an over-enthusiastic young man who simply didn't know any better than to claim a half-breed as his mate. Kouga had denied this profusely, claiming to have gazed on the finest faces on the continent and insisting that InuYasha was, by far, the fairest and certainly the strongest. This earned him an eye roll, but nothing more in response, for InuYasha- though mild in temperament and infinitely patient with immaturity- knew very well the young wolf had seen naught but the shore he stood on, the Sea, and his own den. When summer ended and the wolf tribe was taking its leave, Kouga had promised to return the next season to claim InuYasha as his one and only love.

"Wolves mate for life," He'd said. "And you're who I've chosen. So you better not let anyone else take you. I'm coming back as soon as Father will let me, and you'd better be waiting when I return."

InuYasha gave him his trademark smile, sad and haunted but still a gentle and compassionate smile, and said that he would wait as long as time permitted, but not a second longer, laughing when the wolf grinned his wide toothy grin and sailed away. He had waited, looking to the horizon every spring, never truly believing the wolf prince would come, but also never being one to break a promise. So he'd waited and waited, but the wolf prince never came.

The next suitor to come knocking was a tall, skinny young monk –acolyte named Miroku. His master, Mushin, had decided to set up shop in the village market, and the pair had taken up residence in the next hut down. InuYasha, being the thoughtful young man that he was, had felt the need to give them a house warming gift. A 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift if you will. What had greeted him when he arrived was a scrawny half-naked youth about a head taller than he was and a head-less demeanor. He had introduced himself as Miroku and had asked if InuYasha would like to come inside.

"I'd hate to eat this all by myself." He said making a rather obscene gesture to the pastry that InuYasha had presented to him, when he had made himself decent enough to be presentable.

To that InuYasha raised a delicate brow and scoffed. "From the reputation you've already gathered, I highly doubt you'll be alone for very long."

Miroku frowned. "Now that's not very fair…"

"Fair or not, it's true, no?" InuYasha laughed at his befuddled expression. "In any case, welcome and enjoy…though, please, try not to be so….familiar in the future. You'll end up with much more than a reddened cheek if you keep it up."

In the months that followed, Miroku had tried to seduce InuYasha into more…elicit activity, but being rejected at every turn, settled for being his friend. Very soon the two were nearly inseparable, except of course when the monk got it in his head that he was a ladies man and would traipse towards the gaggle of ladies that usually formed in front of the bakery where InuYasha conducted his business in his show of mock sensuality- elephant-like though InuYasha thought it to be- and would ask them all to bear his children. This, of course, earned him a sound slap in the face from several of the young women, and he would drag himself back inside and slump onto the counter, where InuYasha would cheer him up with a gentle smile and a lemon cake, his favorite. It wasn't long before Miroku, too, drifted out of InuYasha's life having met an alluring young demon-slayer named Sango, and chased off after her wherever she went like a love-struck pup. Of course, he promised InuYasha that he would return, and of course he never did. That was fine. InuYasha had had his friendship, and he still had his brothers, and that had been enough for him.

There were a few more nameless faces that had come after. None particularly enthralling nor interesting, except one, who had appeared shortly after the Lady InuKiyomi had taken his precious brothers to her home, and left him all alone. He appeared sometime after the start of InuYasha's last spring in the village, when the fog on the Sea of Mist lifted for the first time in decades and the Mystic Island materialized. He called himself Ryura, one of four so-called war gods, and had taken a macabre interest in the young half-demon who obstinately resisted every one of his advances, tenacious though the supposed god was. While InuYasha had never had a particular fondness for the other villagers, preferring to keep to himself, he had no appreciation for the suffering that Ryura and his brothers put them through. The slaughtering of the villagers at the local shrine had been the last straw for InuYasha, who had told Ryura that unless he and his siblings removed themselves from the village, he would evict them himself _violently_.

Ryura, of course, had laughed. "Pretty thing, what violence could you possibly do against me or my brothers?" He turned to his brothers, flashing his fangs at them, highly amused. "This one thinks he can remove us by force, but fear not brothers, powerful though he may be he is not one for fighting. Far too delicate."

He'd lost an eye for his comment; his brothers, their lives. Why everyone thought he was delicate simply because he did not seek violence out, he would never understand. They were drawn to it simply because they did not know any different. Their weakness need not be his. He was InuYasha, the greatest of three sons, who need no longer be the son of InuTaisho for it did him no good. He was powerful, he knew this, but he was peaceful, and would remain such for as long as he could, but he would condemn himself to the deepest pits of hell before he allowed innocents to suffer for the enjoyment of others. The incident had earned him the title 'Dragon of the West,' which was odd, he thought, because he was a dog, not a dragon. Ah well, no use fussing over something one couldn't change; humans were changeable enough as it was, the name wouldn't last long.

The years following were relatively peaceful, people came and went, the seasons changed, the sun rose and fell, and the Dragon of the West became legend and nothing more, though to here tell the Dragon had left to conquer the mainland and simply had not returned. InuYasha rolled his eyes at this. The things humans came up with over the passage of time. Silly things. He left the village after his seventy-fifth year of life, hiss twenty-fifth without his brothers, and set out to explore the island, his home. He found he had a particular affection for the forests and spent most of his time there, eventually claiming a patch of forest land for his own near a small farming village in the Siengoku province. He never left the Western Territories, feeling a particular affinity to them, after all they were his homeland and he saw no reason to leave them. But still, all throughout his wandering something was missing…

It was early morning when the scent of burning wood met his nostrils. He awoke instantly, expecting to see the forest engulfed with flame; instead he found that the village temples was burning. Apparently the young priestess serving their had fallen in with another, darker half-demon, whose name InuYasha had never truly taken an interest in learning, who had betrayed her and attempted to steal a jewel of some kind from her, at least that was the story he'd heard from the villagers. Shaking his head muttering about people and their shiny baubles, InuYasha worked quickly to put out the fire and chase after this thief, finding him with little to no trouble at all. He was at once put off by the choking aura the creature put off, he was clearly an unnatural being, why would a woman said to be the purest of women consort with one such as this.

"Are you the demon that rules over this forest?"

InuYasha frowned. "I rule over nothing. I live here, nothing more."

The shadowed figure turned to face him. His red eyes laughing despite the clear danger that InuYasha posed. Another fool that thought him weak. "Well met, kukuku, but I have to ask: you've never taken an interest in the lives of the villagers before, why start now?"

InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "What business is it of yours why or when I should decide to care about them?"

"Villagers houses burn all the time, so it wasn't the fire. You despise Kikyo, she's told me as much. Said that when she goes into the forest you actively avoid crossing paths with her."

"Kikyo? The priestess? I do not despise her; her presence simply leaves something to be desired." InuYasha furrowed his brow. "Why should she have such a desire for one of your….ilk? Surely she can attain better than a less than whole creature as yourself?"

"Kukuku, I agree, but I believe she desired companionship." He held up a necklace with a round pearl-shaped gem clutched covetously between his fingers. "I desired only this."

InuYasha barked a short laugh. "A cheap trinket? You attempted to destroy an entire village for such a trifle?"

"This is no trifle. This is the Shikon Jewel, and with it I, Naraku, will become the most powerful demon in the lands. No one, not even you will be able to look down your nose at me."

InuYasha laughed again. "Perhaps you haven't heard? You have to become a _demon_ before you can become 'the most powerful.' Though I suppose you knew that already?"

"I _am _a demon!" Naraku shouted, his face turning red, becoming enflamed by his rage. "What would you know about it anyway? You're a half-breed just like me, so if I'm not a demon, neither are you."

InuYasha nodded. "Yes, the difference, I suppose, being that I am not audacious enough to claim otherwise."

Naraku opened his mouth, probably to scream again, paused and smiled slowly. "Well, tell that to your precious villagers. Kukuku." With that, he surrounded himself in a veil of miasma and disappeared, leaving InuYasha in the clearing alone with nothing to suggest it had ever been otherwise.

InuYasha frowned turning away from the previous spot of his enemy to face the incoming villagers, all the while considering what the abomination had said. It was true that he wasn't a true demon; his mother's blood had made sure of that. But he would never think to destroy the livelihoods of other men to undo what his mother had done out of love for his father, though he didn't supposed that a creature such as Naraku would have any such hang up, being created not from a mother and father but from an amalgamation of vicious creatures with malicious intent; on their own weak, together a masterpiece of violence and contrition. He had to hand it to the beast; he could conjure quite a bit of malice between neighbors.

"You there, demon," a voice called to him from afar, a voice he recognized as belonging to one of the villagers, though he had never seen the man's face. "Where is the Shikon Jewel?! Where are you hiding it? Why have you murdered the Lady Kikyo?"

InuYasha frowned as the voice drew him out of his contemplation, not expecting the villagers to arrive so soon, though he knew they were coming. "I have stolen nothing. As for Kikyo, she is a priestess not a lady and I have done no violence against her. The demon you seek is not here."

"Lies! I've seen you stalking the village!" Another villager, a woman, shouted in the distance. "You've been plotting this from the beginning!"

"I have done no such thing."

"She's right! This demon hangs around the village all the time."

"He frightens my daughters; scares them with his demonic presence!"

"Now, hold on a moment I have ne-"

"He's a monster just like all the others! We should've called a demon slayer when we had the chance!"

"I have never done anything to warrant-"

"Let's kill him before he uses the Jewel to exterminate us!"\

"Enough!" InuYasha shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding the attention of the villagers who had previously been plotting his demise. "I have done no violence against this village, nor do I have violent feelings towards you, its villagers; however, if you attempt to harm me, I _will_ _not_ hesitate to end your lives!"

"You here that, he's threatening us, when all we wanted was to defend ourselves! Get him!"

Suddenly, there was bloodshed. As the villagers came at him with spears and hoes and picks, he met them with fangs and claws and power, sparing not a one who meant him harm. As the tides turned and villager after villager fell, he felt a presence behind him, a spiritual aura that he knew could only come from one being in such close proximity to Sengoku. He turned to face this new attacker with as much defensive intent as he met the others.

There, standing atop a steep hill, bow arrowed and clothes stained in blood was Lady Kikyo in all her glory. Her face twisted with grim determination, intent on defending her village if it was the last thing she would do, knowing with no doubt that it would be. "Naraku said you would turn on us. He said we shouldn't trust you, that you had always wanted the Jewel for yourself; to be a full demon. And yet, we trusted you. We gave you a home, a place to call your own, and you betrayed us! Why? Why did you betray us, InuYasha?"

_What the hell is she talking about?!_ "I came to this village on my own, never entering it, never calling it my home. I lived in the forest; _it_ was, no, is my home. _You _gave me nothing. I have not betrayed you, you have allowed yourself to be seduced and bewitched by an abomination and that is no fault of mine."

"Liar!" she screamed, her face twisted in rage and her body shaking with the effort of holding herself up despite being on the precipice of death. "Die, InuYasha!" She loosed her bow, and struck him square in the chest, the spiritual enchantment seeping from the wood into his wound. Had he been a lesser creature, he would have surely have succumbed to her sorcery. Instead, he was InuYasha, greatest of three sons, and he would not be felled by a priestess's meager attempts at a binding. He removed the arrow, and watched as the priestess succumbed to her injuries and was taken by Death. He watched from the shadows as her younger sister directed the villagers to carry Lady Kikyo's body to the village burial site and erect a shrine in her name, as she had died for them all. InuYasha scoffed at this notion, as he knew full-well that it was her foolishness that killed her, not some noble sacrifice. He said nothing, however, choosing instead to vacate his once peaceful home, and seek out new refuge. Who knew when the villagers would lose their senses next, heathens as they were?

It wasn't long after that he came across a slave caravan with a rather…charismatic leader at its head. His name was Hiten, or so he claimed, and he and his brother Manten were transporting slaves to an auction in the East and they knew of a particular Lord who was very interested in pretty things like him, and he should come with them if he knew what was good for him. When he asked why being a slave would be good for him, never mind being this _Lord's_ slave, Hiten laughed and said: "Better than starving and free, eh? Now get in the cart with the others, pretty boy, and I won't have to break your pretty little nose." InuYasha supposed on some level he was right, better to be a slave and relatively comfortable, then be free and starving, though he certainly didn't think that he was in any danger of such a thing. After all, he was InuYasha, greatest of three sons, and could hunt for himself, thank you very much. This business of nose breaking however was unacceptable, and the very notion that such a thing could occur had to be put to rest…_now._ So, InuYasha, in retribution to the threat against his perfectly innocent nose, broke Hiten's forearm, though he did agree to get in the cart without any coercion being necessary. Thunder demons, thought they had to do everything the hard way.

And so, after the auction in the square of Okisangi, a small city to the far east of Sengoku, InuYasha came to be in the service of Lord Yamamoto, who had a penchant for pretty things, and dog demons especially for he was quite fond of their silken silver hair and piercing amber eyes, though he had never truly had the chance to own one as he owned InuYasha. Yes, he had many InuYoukai in his possession, and yes, he used them all for his own pleasures, but they were never his slaves, and _he_ had never had the opportunity to teach them how to please him and only him; they could refuse him at any time because they were highborn and they had each been deflowered by different _other_ lords. Yamamoto _owned_ InuYasha, and the pup could refuse him nothing, though he was InuYasha, the greatest of three sons, and he could technically do anything he pleased, he was fitted with a collar at the auction that made him more…agreeable to his Lord. Besides, Yamamoto had been good to him despite his furious sexual desires and his fascination with the young half-demon's mouth.

The first time InuYasha was confronted with Lord Yamamoto's… preoccupation with the orifice on his face, he was terrified. Yes, he'd had many suitors, and yes they had all wanted him sexually, he had never been faced with their lust physically. The only time such an occurrence had come to pass…well needless to say he wasn't ready for it. His sorrow at the mere suggestion that he pleasure his lord was so apparent, that Lord Yamamoto had immediately scrapped the idea and decided instead to teach the boy about the pleasures of his _own_ flesh with the hope that InuYasha would one day desire to reciprocate. After about a decade, his efforts were rewarded when the little one had pleasured him with his delightful little orifice for the first time. Apprehensive though he was, InuYasha felt that he owed it to his new lord to at least try to please him in the manner in which he desired. From then on these sessions in the throne room were almost as necessary for his lord as the very air he breathed or the food he ate.

It didn't last long however, as an assault on the Lord's castle led him to change hands, coming into the service of Lord Kairo and his progeny, which then led him to come into the possession of his alleged elder brother, Lord Sesshomaru. He loved his Lord, all his lords really, and the people that came and went in his life had taught him many lessons, though none so important as this: he who loves blindly will lose, and he who does not love at all has already lost. The informed will always prevail; knowledge is power, and power is power, and he possessed both in great abundance. Thank the Gods.


End file.
